Interns:
Alison Fair – Research & Data Collection Intern
Alison is very passionate about sex education in schools and hope to become a sex educator or sex education policymaker. She is also really interested in marginalized sexual interests as they are expressed in explicit sexual media, the sociology of sexuality, if you will. She also feels really strongly about sexuality related justice issues and generally creating a more sex positive culture.
Alison applied to intern at the CSPH because to her it “seems like a peek into the future, a world where people talk openly and freely about sexuality, aren’t ashamed to ask questions about the most intimate parts of their lives, or to share answers”. She is a self-proclaimed time travel geek so it only follows that she wants to work in the future. On a more serious note, she thinks the CSPH is a great resource and a wonderful project and is excited to help however she can.
Alicia Gauvin – Content Creation & Web Management Intern
Alicia Gauvin is in her senior year as a Psychology major and Women’s and Gender Studies minor at Clark University! She is an executive board member of Choices, Clark’s student-run sex education group that supplies the campus with safer sex supplies and resources, as well as putting on fun and educational events on campus. She is currently working on her own Fellowship research examining where and what students are receiving for sex education and whether or not they are seeking secondary sources of education.
Alicia is currently applying to graduate school to attain her goal of becoming a certified sex therapist. She feels that in order to be an effective sex therapist, it is essential that one have a broad and diverse understanding of sexuality. The ability to continue her education and constant learning is one of the many reasons Alicia loves interning at the CSPH – there are so many great individuals and resources!
Daniela Rodriguez Da Silva – Fundraising & Development Intern
Daniela RDS is excited to work with The CSPH because she hopes to make accessible sexual health education a tool for the furthering of equality. She applied for the intern position because she is seeking a space where she can deepen and challenge her knowledge of sex and sexuality while connecting with fellow-minded people. She is looking forward to learning and figuring out effective ways of spreading that knowledge.
Daniela is particularly interested in vigorously exploring that which inspires and shapes erotic fantasies and how it interacts with our understanding of the self and others. She is also really looking forward to developing amazing strategies that can help create a sustainable model to further strengthen the CSPH.
Elizabeth Brewer – Current Events Intern
Elizabeth Brewer is currently in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona specializing in Health Behaviors. She is a certified group fitness and personal trainer for the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, trained in yoga, Pilates, AcroYoga, and certified PiYo instructor. She has written program evaluations on yoga, meditation, and breathing to help adolescent sex offenders. She break dances and performs for Tucson’s Finest B-Boy Crew, Les Avenge and has completed two program evaluations on Hip Hop as a means to prevent HIV/AIDS and plans to implement the program. Elizabeth currently uses her breakdancing background in acrobatics fused with dance and self expression to teach Partner Yoga based on trust, love, kindness, and appreciation for each individuals unparalleled selves, just the way they are. Thus, working with The CSPH offers a healthy and safe environment that promotes sex-positivity in which honors each of our unique selves as Elizabeth has been teaching in her classes for the past three years. She plans to continue her education with a Masters degree within the health behavior field giving her the ability to fulfill her dream of spreading as much love and kindness to the world by promoting healthy and safe relationships. She is adrenalized to work with the CSPH and says it is “one step closer on her journey towards becoming a member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT),” and maybe someday hosting her own TV show entitled, I Like Eskimo Kisses: What’s your Preference?.
Elizabeth Watt – Research & Data-Collection Intern
Elizabeth Watt resides in Chicago and is currently working on her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology. She received an undergraduate degree in Media Studies and worked in legal marketing for four years before entering graduate school to pursue her passion for psychology. Elizabeth hopes to become a certified sex therapist and work with individuals and couples on issues dealing with sexual behavior, sexual dysfunction, sexual identity and orientation, and gender issues. Elizabeth looks forward to supporting the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health and helping to promote sexual education, women’s issues and empowerment, and LGBTQ issues.
Gypsy Starr Vidal – Communications Intern
Gypsy Starr Vidal is an International Relations major at Brown University, where she is also involved with the Sexual Health Education Empowerment Council and the co-ed fraternity, Zeta Delta Xi. While her educational experience at Brown has primarily been focused on the United States’ foreign policy and military, she is also passionate about human sexuality, a field she has been tangentially involved in since the onset of puberty. She eventually hopes to attend Widener University to obtain a dual-degree in Education in Human Sexuality and Social Work. Other passions of hers include issues of intersectionality, community formation and growth across space, place, and time, and iced coffee.
Jaclyn Boudreau – Library & Inventory Intern
Jaclyn Boudreau is a student at Bridgewater State University studying Philosophy and Psychology. She is an aspiring sex educator and is working towards AASECT certification. Jaclyn has a particular interest in the intersection of sexuality and ethics and hopes to apply her knowledge of moral philosophy to her career as an educator. She believes that a deep understanding of an individual’s moral code will help her deliver sex-positive education that is accessible to people of all religious and philosophical backgrounds.
Jayne Greenberg – Professional Development & Education Intern
Jayne Greenberg is currently a senior at Brandeis University pursuing a Health: Science, Society and Policy major. Over the past year, she served as coordinator/director of the Student Sexuality Information Service (SSIS), a confidential and totally peer run sex education, counseling and safer sex products resource on campus. Currently working on thesis about the impacts of social networking and health sexuality, she hopes to helps make connections about the ways in which technology impacts modern relationships. She is so excited to be a part of the CSPH team and work to promote sex positivity in the community.
Ketevan Marr – Resources & Publications Intern
Ketevan Marr is currently studying public health and anthropology. Growing up in a (sort of) sex-positive home, she has always been asked for advice from countless peers who had no where else to turn. Ketevan’s background in sexual and domestic violence prevention has led to much pondering over the attacker/abuser psychological profile. Other issues she is interested in include sex trafficking and sex worker rights, as well as the impact of the media on sexuality and sexual violence. A career in sex education is her goal, and Ketevan’s experiences in this area thus far has only demonstrated the need for sex-positive organizations such as the CSPH. She hopes to create curricula that covers all aspects of sexual health responsibly, including the discussion of sexual pleasure. She hopes to work towards lessening the wild controversies that occur when the conversation of pleasure is interpreted as “encouraging” sex amongst young adults. She looks forward to getting down and dirty in writing curricula and other educational materials with the CSPH.
Sarah Carmody – Social Media & Marketing Intern
Once upon a time, with a feminist who has a propensity to advocate second-wave ideals, we broached the subject of third wave feminism. She reiterated New York Times’ columnist Anna Quindlen’s statement, “however playful or ironic, and reclaiming such words as bitch and slut make a mockery of feminism’s longtime and still unachieved goals of social and economic equality.”
While Sarah will always appreciate debates such as these with those whose perspective differ from hers, she feels she has too long had the same argument. She is craving an environment in which she can grow stronger from the solidarity of like-minded individuals. For Sarah, The CSPH represents her perception of feminism in its advocacy of community and in its sex positive values. She feels that in order for her to become the feminist she is striving to be, she needs to be surrounded and embraced by a group of like-minded individuals who, like herself, believe in the ability of sex to promote equality.
Sarah is particularly interested in orgasms! She is so excited, in love with, and eager to incite more women to feel entitled to their own orgasms. She wants to develop the professional insight necessary to become the sex-educator she hopes to be. At The CSPH, she hopes to amplify yet refine the passion and knowledge she possesses so she may most effectively work with women in the future. She hopes to develop the skills necessary to help improve relationships women have with their own bodies and harvest in them the sense of entitlement she feels to the beauty of the almighty clit. Sarah craves the opportunity to learn from her new colleagues at the CSPH so she may more effectively reach her ambitions as a sex positive educator.
Volunteers:
Ami Biran
Ami Biran holds a Masters Degree in Psychology and currently works as a Clinical Therapist at a community based mental health center. She is working toward attaining her credentials to become a Certified Sex Therapist. Ami lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three young daughters. She is very excited to be involved with the CSPH and is dedicated to promote a sex positive community for her daughters to grow up in.
Deirdre O’Donnell
Deirdre O’Donnell is entering her senior year of college at RIC, where she is a Women Studies’ major. She is outgoing and warm, trying her best every day to be as well read on gender, sex, sexuality, women’s rights, and politics of oppression as she can. Definitely a people person, Deirdre has always felt that she has a knack for seeming open minded and accepting enough for people open up to her and voice their opinions, thoughts and experiences no matter how taboo or dark they may be. A former intern, she is volunteering at the CSPH because, after taking the Female Sexuality Workshop at Brown and seeing one of Megan Andelloux’s workshops on sex toys, she was swept away at the prospect of one day being able to hold workshops educating on sexuality issues that she was passionate about. It is a field that is always progressing and changing, and it is also a very important, powerful aspect of her life that she never grows tired of and knows she wants to make into a career. She loves all of the topics that are intrinsically linked with feminism and sexuality, and wants to gain more hands-on experience early on. In the future, she hopes to teach workshops and write books and articles regarding issues such as parental responsibilities in talking to children about sexuality, sexual assault, and also feminism and capitalism.
Katie Jensen
Katie lives in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She graduated from Providence College in 2010 with a degree in Psychology and is currently applying to Master’s in Social Work programs throughout the country. She has wanted to become a therapist for about 10 years and recently decided to focus on Sex Therapy, which she could not be more excited about pursuing! After working for two years on HIV microbicide acceptability research in Providence, Katie has returned home and now works at Evanston Hospital as a Mental Health Counselor. Outside of work she enjoys playing and watching sports.
Liam Stansen
Liam graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT with a degree in Government. He sought out the CSPH because of the center’s focus on education, especially the intersection of safety, facts, fun and the focus on pleasure. He has worked in a wide variety of sexuality and gender focused areas, and hopes to eventually teach and otherwise use his experiences to help others become more comfortable with themselves and others.
Lindsay Sovern
Lindsay Sovern comes to us from Queens, New York! She is a sophomore at Brown, where she is doing a double concentration in Gender and Sexuality Studies and Slavic Studies. In her spare time she likes to do comedy and queer feminist work!
Lisa Bruneault
Lisa Bruneault is a graduate of Rhode Island College where she received a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture and Metalsmithing. She creates conceptual and utilitarian pieces that deal with gender, sexuality and class.
Marybeth Brubaker
Marybeth Brubaker hails from Austin, Texas and graduated from Goddard College in 2010 with a degree in Individualized Studies. She officially began her pursuit to become a sex educator at the CSPH’s first SAR in October of 2011 and decided to stay involved by volunteering. She hopes to learn more about the field and make connections that will empower her to bring a sex-positive message to her home state of Texas. Her goal is to help people better understand themselves and others by providing accurate information and facilitating open, honest discussions. In the near future Marybeth plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Human Sexuality and work toward becoming an AASECT certified sex educator. In the more distant future, she looks forward to opening her own toy store and resource center to promote sexual awareness and encourage education that, she hopes, will bring more fulfillment and pleasure to people’s lives.
Nicole Nelson
Nicole Nelson comes to us from Roger Williams University where she is a junior studying Psychology and Global Communications. She hopes to go on to graduate school to get her Master of Social Work and then become certified as a sex therapist. Nicole is also a former intern here at the CSPH. She hopes to continue to meet many great people (both in and out of the field) who share in her passion for helping people with sometimes difficult sexual issues. She wants to make the world a more (safe)-sex friendly place!
Sam Jacobson
Sam Jacobson graduated from Brandeis University in 2010 with a degree in English, Film, and Creative Writing. While at Brandeis, he served as a peer counselor with Student Sexuality Information Service, a student-run group dedicated to providing sex education and counseling services to the campus. Volunteering for The CSPH, he is able to use his comfort with topics related to sex and sexuality in concert with his skills as a copy-editor. Plus, he gets to talk about sex. What’s not to love?
Sarah Campbell
Sarah Naomi Campbell is a filmmaker and graduate student in history and library science based in Providence, RI. Her experimental narrative shorts have been described as “dreamy evocative visual poems”, but her passion lies in unearthing stories of all kinds, particularly strange little moments of passing beauty. She is a fierce advocate for sex-positivity as a radical antidote to oppression.
