Cheryl Siegel '01 (left) with Noy Thrupkaew, associate editor of Sojourner.
"W elcome to the world of
feminist nonprofit," Molly, an advertising associate, said as I
entered the offices of Sojourner, a feminist newspaper in
Boston. I began reading Sojourner several months ago, and
thought that it would be an interesting and challenging place in
which to do an internship. I was naturally nervous at the beginning,
but after my first-day jitters wore off, I realized what a great
opportunity I had in front of me. I quickly became acclimated to my
environment and got to know the quirks and personalities of the other
interns and staff members. I started off by writing a
short article about a study two researchers conducted concerning
adoption processes and their effects on heterosexual and lesbian
couples. Later in the week, I wrote a longer article about a nurses'
strike that nearly occurred in Boston. Both of my articles were
published in the February edition of the paper. In my last week, I conducted
research about alternative health therapies, such as acupuncture and
massage therapy, and how these practices affected women's health.
Interviewing people was the task I found most challenging. However, I
found that this skill became easier and more enjoyable with practice.
By the end of the internship, I felt a great deal more comfortable
asking people questions. "All you have to do is be able to have a
conversation," the associate editor, Noy, had told me. Currently, I do not have any
specific career plans, but my internship helped give me a better idea
of what I might like to do in the future. I learned that I enjoy
writing, and that I love working in a feminist-related field. Most
importantly, I had the opportunity to work with an intelligent and
talented group of women dedicated to promoting feminism.
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