To our dedicated interns and fellows, we extend our heartfelt thanks for the invaluable work you’ve accomplished!

As we approach the holiday season, we bid farewell to our exceptional 2023 cohort of Alliance interns and fellows! We have had such a wonderful time with them in our office and appreciate all of the work that they contributed. This year, we had interns and fellows who supported our policy, field, and communication teams. Each intern and fellow worked in the department of their choice. They provided exceptional hands-on support to our teams and community partners. 

At the Alliance, collaboration is at the core of our mission. We believe that the foundation of activism lies in fostering a sense of community and active participation. We place great emphasis on welcoming diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences among our team. Internships and fellowships serve as a vital opportunity to solidify relationships with our community in ending the gun violence epidemic. As well as offer opportunities for individuals to learn, engage, and make a difference in our communities and across the nation.

For those curious about the specific role our interns and fellows played during their terms, the inspirations that fueled their involvement in gun violence prevention, and the meaningful takeaways from their journeys, we invite you to delve into their insights below.

What brought you to the Alliance?

Chaitna: “I once went to a hearing as a volunteer with the Alliance about five years ago which really impacted me, so when I saw the opportunity to intern with the Alliance I knew I had to apply! I’m currently a sophomore at the University of Washington hoping to major in Law, Societies, and Justice, and in my time with the Alliance I’ve seen a lot of overlap between the issues we cover in classes and how things actually play out in an issue space. I got to see how organizations and movements participate in coalition-building, grassroots advocacy, and compromise.”

Asma: “Honestly I didn’t know much about gun violence before arriving at the Alliance, it’s not something I was ever particularly passionate about, but I think I was attracted to the way that gun violence prevention seems like such a no-brainer yet somehow faces so much backlash and how it’s such an intersectional issue in the way that it interacts with things like systemic racism. I’ve always been really involved with advocacy work in a variety of forms with things like voter registration drives and other forms of community building, so I was excited for the opportunity to combine things like research and community and civic engagement here at the Alliance.”

Elissa: Outside of the Alliance, I am a junior at UW Seattle majoring in Law, Societies and Justice and I also have interned with the House of Representatives this summer!

How do you feel your experience with the Alliance will transfer into your career? 

Chaitna: My time at the Alliance really clarified for me what working at a nonprofit advocacy organization is actually like in the day-to-day, and also gave me some insight into what campaign work and legislative work looks like. When I joined the organization I really had no idea what any of those things looked like. I’m not sure which, if any, of those fields I ultimately want to go into, but working with the Alliance has given me way more knowledge and understanding than I had before. 

Asma: In my time here I have learned so much in every area where you can learn things! This ranges from more technical things, like how to reach out to volunteers or go canvassing, to also more abstract things. It has been so crazy to be able to see the steps that we take and the processes to create actionable change and the difference that it can make. I definitely want to always make sure that in whatever work that I do I’m keeping in mind who I’m doing it for and keep clarity with whatever I’m trying to do. 

Elissa: I think getting meaningful fieldwork experience has given me lifelong skills that I will value forever. Being on the field talking to other organizers, volunteers, and so on at different

How do you feel your experience with the Alliance will transfer into your career? 

Chaitna: My time at the Alliance really clarified for me what working at a nonprofit advocacy organization is actually like in the day-to-day, and also gave me some insight into what campaign work and legislative work looks like. When I joined the organization I really had no idea what any of those things looked like. I’m not sure which, if any, of those fields I ultimately want to go into, but working with the Alliance has given me way more knowledge and understanding than I had before. 

Asma: In my time here I have learned soo much in every area where you can learn things! This ranges from more technical things,like how to reach out to volunteers or go canvassing, to also more abstract things. It has been so crazy to be able to see the steps that we take and the processes to create actionable change and the difference that it can make. I definitely want to always make sure that in whatever work that I do I’m keeping in mind who I’m doing it for and keep clarity with whatever I’m trying to do. 

Elissa: I think getting meaningful field work experience has given me lifelong skills that I will value forever. Being on the field talking to other organizers, volunteers and so on at different events has given me a different perspective on activism work and fighting for my values. 

What is one thing you would like to remember and carry with you as you leave this position?

Chaitna: One thing I would like to remember and carry with me is that we generally have more in common with people than we think. Even with people who came up to us to disagree at tabling events, for example, there was usually some common ground to be found. The only way to really change peoples’ minds is to engage in good-faith conversation with them, and I want to commit to doing that whenever I can. 

Asma: In my time here I have learned so much in every area where you can learn things! This ranges from more technical things, like how to reach out to volunteers or go canvassing, to also more abstract things. It has been so crazy to be able to see the steps that we take and the processes to create actionable change and the difference that it can make. I definitely want to always make sure that in whatever work that I do I’m keeping in mind who I’m doing it for and keep clarity with whatever I’m trying to do. 

Elissa: One thing I would carry with me is persistence. Encouraging people to volunteer, to phone bank with us, and so on is so worth it because they end up valuing the experience in the end.