Join us in offering a big WELCOME to our 2017 Community Events and Program Interns who are joining us this summer to make Family Week another unforgettable week for LGBTQ families!
Liv Engel is a current sophomore at Reed College in Portland, OR. She is originally from Minneapolis, MN and enjoys playing rugby, tennis, and cross country skiing. After she graduates, Liv is hoping to continue on to medical school and become an ob/gyn. She is really looking forward to working with The Family Equality Council this summer and to meeting all the other interns!
Aisling Keane is a rising Junior at Smith College. She is a government major at Smith and is looking to focus on American Government with a concentration in Public Policy. She is a member of Smith’s Soccer Team and a member of the Sports Committee of Inclusion and Diversity. Aisling is so excited to be interning with Family Equality Council this summer!
Gwen Kelly is a junior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania studying Sociology with a double minor in Women’s and Gender Studies and Math. She has a passion for social justice education and community engagement, and is an active member of Muhlenberg’s Students for Reproductive Justice, Environmental Action Team, and Hate/Bias Resource Team. She spends a lot of her time volunteering with the youth of Allentown through the Allentown schools and after school youth development programs, and is also a trained facilitator of relationship violence workshops for Muhlenberg students. She is a member of the Muhlenberg Jazztap Ensemble and two of Muhlenberg’s student-led dance teams, the Copacetic Rhythms and FUZiiON. She is very excited to be in Boston this summer working with Family Equality Council!
Katie Lucchesi is going into her Junior Year at Syracuse University where she is studying Human Development and Family Science and English Literature. This fall she will be traveling to London to study abroad and hopes to explore as many European countries as possible. Katie eventually want to go to law school to study family policy and child advocacy. She is from Longmeadow, Massachusetts and grew up visiting Provincetown each summer with her family. In her free time she loves to play tennis, read, spend time outdoors, and go to concerts. Boston is her favorite city and she is excited to spend the summer here and to be working with Family Equality Council!
Silvia Mavares grew up in Miami, but is originally from Venezuela. She finished her junior year at Amherst College, where she’s majoring in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought. At Amherst, Silvia works as an Activities and Outreach Coordinator the best place on campus: the Queer Resource Center. She’s very excited to intern with Family Equality Council this summer and can’t wait for Family Week! Silvia’s pronouns are she/her/hers.
Jessica Metelus, Wellesley College’s Class of 2017, is a History Major and Sociology Minor. She was born and raised in Boston. Her major concentration is Early Modern French and British history. When she has free time she likes to go to the library and stuff as many books as she can into her backpack, knit, watch period films, sleep, bother her friends and listen to k-pop.
Vicki Otis grew up in Danvers Massachusetts and moved to Rochester NY to attend college at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She is a senior majoring in Sociology and minoring in Psychology and Deaf Studies. After she graduates Vicki plans on getting her masters in Social Work. She is hard of hearing, which means she can both talk and use American Sign Language. Some of her proudest accomplishments are being a sister of the sorority Alpha Sigma Alpha, being a founder and president of the feminist club on her campus, becoming an RA and just recently finishing her first half marathon. In her free time Vicki enjoys dancing, playing with dogs, and spending time with friends. She looks forward to working with you all this summer!
Lily Pearl is from Southborough Massachusetts and is a rising junior at Smith College where she majors in the Study of Women and Gender and minors in Sociology. When she was 14 months old, she was adopted from China by my two amazing and loving parents. In high school she was actively involved in the Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA), holding the positions of officer, vice president and president. She started my GSA’s tradition of reaching out to middle school students on topics like safe spaces and anti-bullying strategies. She also helped create a training program for faculty about queer students and other school workers. At Smith she supports students of color on campus through the Bridge Program that mentors entering first years of color. She loves to play rugby and cook delicious meals. She is so excited to be working with the Family Equality Council once more this summer. Family Week is going to be a blast!
Nicole Villacres is a junior at Mount Holyoke College in Western Massachusetts, majoring in gender studies with a minor in Latinx Studies and a Five College Certificate in Reproductive Health Rights and Justice. She is also a varsity athlete on the rowing team. Post graduation, Nicole hopes to join a non-profit that focuses on public policy surrounding a reproductive rights issue.
Henry Waletzko is a 20 year old student at Smith College, where he majors in the study of women and gender and minors in mathematics. Henry also enjoys theater, and has contributed to productions as an actor, writer, and director in his time at college. Henry is originally from New York City, but is looking forward to spending the summer in Massachusetts working with the Family Equality Council. He hopes to one day attend law school, and pursue a career doing advocacy for the LGBTQ community.