Interns for Summer 2013:
Cece Nease – Education Intern
Cece is originally from West Virginia, where she attended Charleston Catholic High School. She just completed her second year at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She’s interested in infectious disease and improving sex education and access to contraceptives. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she plans to pursue an MD/PhD in public health. When she’s not studying, she loves to bake, exercise, and show people pictures of her chubby bulldog, and she’s a double gold medalist figure skater!
Sasha Pansovoy – Education Intern
Sasha Pansovoy is currently a student at Simmons College where she studies Sociology. After being a member of Health Education at Simmons College, Sasha became the Lead Student Health Educator and leads two groups, within Health Education, discussing domestic violence and contraception, sexual orientation, gender, and sexual health among other topics. She has also been a guest speaker at Fenway Health, Melrose Alliance Against Violence, PAVE Summit and Breaking the Silence Against Violence Conference at Vassar College. Ever since she can remember, Sasha has always been fascinated and enthralled by sexuality, she can talk about it all day. Sasha’s other interests include reading, playing with her cat Teddy and dog Louie, baking, cooking, biking, skiing, swimming, painting, spending time with family and friends and relaxing on the beach. In the future Sasha hopes to pursue a career in sexology and social work.
Julia Coltri - Education Intern
Julia just graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in biology. There she was a member of SSIS (Student Sexuality Information Service), a group dedicated to providing peer sexuality education and counseling to the campus population. She has also worked with the Education and Outreach department at Planned Parenthood of Maryland and various LGBTQ* organizations. She loves cats, Doctor Who, tumblr, science, sex positivity, and adventures.
Ash Gayle – Website Intern
Ash was born in Virginia, where she is completing a psychology degree at Christopher Newport University. Her desire to pursue a career related to sexuality was shaped by a college class on sex and gender, her forays into gender studies, and late-night outings with her friends to the nearby adult novelty shop. Her ultimate goal is to become a sex therapist specializing in LGBT issues, as well as counseling queer youth who grew up in small Southern towns similar to hers. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, painting with watercolors, and consuming entirely too much coffee.
Brenna Levitin – Social Media Intern
Brenna is a college student in limbo (currently in Massachusetts). She is a geek, a photographer, a journalist, and a feminist. She loves being in nature, especially at Walden Pond. In her capacity as a Social Media Intern, Brenna will finally put all those hours on Tumblr to good use by promoting sex positivity and managing the CSPH’s online presence. Brenna hopes some day to be an eSports journalist, a sex educator, or a consulting psychologist.
Luisa Ramirez – Social Media Intern
Luisa lives most of the year in Montreal, Canada, where she is doing her undergraduate studies in Sociology and Psychology at Concordia University. She sings for the Reproductive Justice League Choir and organizes with the Centre for Gender Advocacy in Montreal, specifically the Reproductive Justice campaign. She babysits and tutors in English and Spanish, and she also writes for her personal sexuality-themed blog, http://occupyyoursexuality.wordpress.com. The loves of her life are Oscar and Mau, her nephews, who live in Mexico City, where she herself was born and raised. In her free time, she likes to read through feminist and sex-positive blogs and websites (and when she is not reading, she is probably talking nonstop about what she just read). She also likes drinking coffee, exploring the city, watching YouTube videos and eating pasta.
Ruby Vail – Programming Intern
Ruby is an undergrad at Tufts University double majoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and English. On campus, she is on the board of the sexual health and reproductive justice student group which puts on an annual sex fair and sends condomgrams all over campus, as well as two feminist/social justice discussion and action groups. When she’s not reading about intersections of sex, sexuality, gender, race, class, ability, and bodies, Ruby enjoys getting lost in Boston, finding new restaurants in Somerville, and snuggling with her dog.
Tirzah Blair – Programming Intern
Tirzah is a senior, hailing from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She’s receiving a degree in music, but spends most of her time revelling in the liberal arts and soaking up information about sexuality. Before her time there, she studied flute performance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In her free time she likes to quilt and embroider. Tirzah will always be happy with a cup of tea and a paperback book in her hands. She’s excited about her internship in programming and outreach this summer, and hopes to clear a path in the sexology field as an educator, activist, and friendly face. She wants you and everyone else to be happy, and to love yourself and every facet of your sexuality.
Morgan Peniuta – Programming Intern
Morgan graduated from Concordia University in Montréal, Québec with a B.A (Honours) in sociology in the spring of 2013, where her thesis focused on socially stigmatized work and identities, research that will be continued when she returns there for grad school in the fall. Morgan is fueled by her belief that sex-positivity is a social justice issue. This has led her to work on projects that promote safer sex and comprehensive sex education, reproductive rights and LGBTQ liberation (among other things). Whether this takes the form of throwing a fierce queer dance party fundraiser, giving workshops or tabling at events; or even just being a vocal and supportive ally – it’s all just part of a larger scheme to someday soon live in a better, more free world. When not rocking the boat, Morgan can sometimes be found biking around Providence, listening to records, drawing or gardening, but more likely just sitting on the beach reading some H.P Lovecraft.
Volunteers for Spring 2013:
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?
Gopika Krishna
Gopika Krishna is a senior at Brown University where she studies Human Biology with a focus on Race & Gender. On campus, she’s been involved with several sexual education and identity based groups, such as the Female Sexuality Workshop, the Queer Alliance, and Brown’s Sexual Health Awareness Group. Gopika is interested in the intersections of science, medicine, gender, and sexuality, and how medical institutions can wield power over sexual rights and bodies. As a future physician, she hopes to use these skills and interests to one day develop feminist healthcare models. When she’s not browsing sex-positive blogs online, Gopika loves baking, playing with her many pets, giving backrubs, and watching Woody Allen films.
Arianna Iliff
Arianna is a 2011 graduate of Ohio University, where she majored in sociology and earned a Women’s and Gender Studies Certificate. In college, Arianna served as a peer health educator, researched the modern day abstinence movement, and created a one-woman performance piece about sex and shame entitled Dirty Talk. Arianna was stricken by the need for honest and accurate sexuality education when she discovered abstinence-only sex education in high school, and has wanted to work in the field ever since. When she attends grad school, she plans to explore new research interests, including how young adults cope with sexual insecurities and traumas and the intersection of sexuality with the arts and spirituality. Her ultimate goal is to bring the sex-positive movement further into the Midwest, and to help people work through their feelings of sexual shame and fear with a queer-friendly sexuality coaching or counseling practice. This is Arianna’s second term as a volunteer, and she is proud to represent the CSPH and to champion open, honest, and accurate sex education!
Natella Johnston
Natella Johnston is a Philosophy major at Brown University. In her free time she enjoys reading books, especially those related to gender and sexuality. Natella is especially interested in the relation between sexuality and ethics. She is rather excited to expand and question her knowledge of sex and sexuality in a safe discussion space.
Claire Goodman
Claire is a graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara (’08), where she studied Literature, Spanish and Russian. She is currently an English-teaching volunteer with the Peace Corps in Jordan, and also taking classes in public health. She hopes to eventually work in the field of sexual and reproductive health, especially relating to peoples’ access to information. She’s also interested in languages, space, and the environment, and can tap dance like nobody’s business.
Jessica Castigliego
Jess is an Aries, an INTP, a cat lady, and a Writing and Rhetoric major at the University of Rhode Island. As a high school senior, she worked as a peer educator at the former Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island. During that year, Jess observed that even adults have questions and misinformation about “the birds and the bees” and, as a result, strongly believes that comprehensive sex education is necessary at all ages. Her other interests include IKEA, mimosas, Steve Buscemi, and This American Life. Jess thinks bow ties are cool.
Kimberly Jackson
Kimberly is a licensed independent clinical social worker, an avid runner, and a native New Yorker. Currently serving as a Youth Development Facilitator in the Peace Corps, Kimberly delights in dispelling masturbation myths, eating mangos, and giving condom demonstrations in Spanish. She is a graduate of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, of Case Western Reserve University. Upon returning from Peru, Kimberly hopes to build upon her experience in psychotherapy and comprehensive sex education, and become an AASECT certified sex therapist.
Daniela Rodriguez Da Silva
Daniela Rodriguez Da Silva graduated from Brown University in 2010, with a B.A. in Gender and Sexuality Studies. After falling in love with the CSPH during her stint as an intern, she stayed on as a volunteer. Currently telecommuting from the Bay Area, Daniela is working to make all CSPH materials accessible to Spanish speakers. When she is not translating for the CSPH, she is working behind the scenes at Autostraddle.com, on the phone at Bay Area Women Against Rape, or window shopping for shoes online. She looks forward to one day going back home to Venezuela, bringing with her all the sexual awareness and positivity she’s learning about and collecting throughout her work in the US.
Abigail Johnson
Abby is a recent graduate from Clark University with a Bachelors in Psychology, and a background in neuroscience and biology. She is passionate about studying intimacy and couples, particularly facilitating effective communication, vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution. Abby has always had a vibrant enthusiasm for all things sexuality-related; the running joke among her friends freshman year at Clark was that she would one day become a sex therapist. She is currently taking time to explore and refine her interests in intimacy and sexuality, and will be continuing her education, hopefully to actually become a (couples and sex) therapist! Abby’s favorite colors are yellow and coral pink, and her favorite scent is grapefruit. She has a kitty whose name is Cori, and he’s kind of a big deal (ask anyone). Abby loves foreign films, exercising, cheese, dry humor, and all things inspirational.
Diana Buchhalter
Diana Buchhalter is the community educator at Family Planning of South Central NY, where she conducts sex ed workshops for groups of all ages. She believes all things in life should be discussed with as much brevity, honesty, and humor as possible. She is passionate about communication and encouraging healthy sexual lifestyles and habits through dialogue, education, and understanding. Her long term goal is to earn her master’s in social work and work with the aging population and their providers to promote sexual health throughout the lifespan. She’s looking forward to teaching you something new this spring, one word at a time.
Sam Rosen
Sam is a 2011 graduate of University of Wisconsin Madison, where he majored in philosophy. In college, Sam served as an officer of AHA a secular student group dedicated to creating a space for the non-religious to find community, sponsoring educational events, raising public awareness, and volunteering. Sam believes strongly in sex positivity and sex education. He hopes to help create a space where people can learn and mingle. Sam is married and has a cat named Wumpus.
