Internships (LGBTQ+ 598)

The following organizations have worked with SDSU students in the past or expressed interest in doing so in the future:

The internship course, LGBT 598, is available in fall, spring, and summer. Please contact internship program director Prof. Marie Draz at [email protected] for more information. Note that you can also identify other internships related to LGBTQ+ Studies and have them approved to count for LGBT 598.

Internship Stories

Kasside Sahagun-Escalante
Internship: SDSU’s Pride Center

She shares that, “I mainly create Instagram and newsletter content - this includes researching whatever the topic is, making canva designs, writing the captions and ID, and making sure I adhere to Pride Center and SDSU content rules and aesthetics! I also am hosting the support group GRADuate which is a peer-led support group specifically for queer graduate students! I am also expected to work in a timely manner, communicating with my supervisor, and attending regular 1:1 meetings to go over my past assignments and future work.”

 

Mack Moore
Internship: Lambda Archives

They said, “My main responsibility at Lambda Archives was processing a collection donated by the Live and Let Live Alano Club, a now-closed space for Al-Anon and other 12-Step meetings specifically catered to queer folks in San Diego. I processed the entire thing over the course of the school year, taking it from boxes of mixed up papers and artifacts to an organized and cataloged collection available for research to the public.”

 

Mila Eliaschev
Internship: Entertainment Department of San Diego Pride

They helped with event planning and stage managing to make the Pride Festival happen! They said, “"I had an awesome volunteer experience, I worked within the Entertainment department for SD Pride, so I was focused specifically on the festival portion. The environment was very fast-paced and stuff moved very quickly, but I worked with a super supportive team that made everything fun and possible. Watching all of those spreadsheets and email threads and smaller side projects come together the weekend of the pride festival was incredibly rewarding. What was most special to me however was the opportunity to be a stage manager for one of the stages at pride, where I got to watch the impact my work had on the community, from tears turning into community bonding at the drag shows to pure joy from young kids having the opportunity to see people like them, that experience really made all of the work worth it."  View the IG post about Mila.

 

Vale Isela Magaña
Internship: Young Womxn’s Studies Club

They did programming to high-school students on topics like feminism, queerness and a gender-expansive free clothing resource/closet for students. They share, "Through the SDSU Women's Studies Dept. and with the Young Womn's Studies Club at Hoover High, I worked with high school students presenting programming on a variety of topics relating to feminism, queerness, and more. A big highlight for me came after providing gender-affirming care (ie, chest binders) to queer youth after a small, successful fundraiser!" View the IG post about Vale.

 

Briez Cole
Internship: Sexuality and Sexual Health Research Lab

She coded data, aided on-campus research and received two certifications along the way! She says “"When I started, I was very intimidated by research and everything it entailed, however I have a great team that has helped me learn and gain my confidence. Not only has this internship increased my understanding for research, it has also allowed me to see first hand if this is a field I want to pursue with a career. I learned that research is not my niche but it has been a wonderful opportunity." View the IG post about Briez.

 

Ryan Ednacot
Internship: Lambda Archives of San Diego

They worked on information production and distribution, focusing on digitizing BIPOC collections for public access. They say “My internship at Lambda has been perhaps my most meaningful experience I've had while at SDSU. Lambda enabled me to learn how many centers of information production and distribution that are G.L.A.M's (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) are mobilized around preserving and highlighting the histories of community groups, that have been otherwise relegated to the margins of societal recognition and meaning. To combat the historical erasure of our local LGBT community, Lambda is specifically activated on processing BIPOC focused collections. As a result, much of my work involved getting to understand the kinds of barriers of access that digital users face when searching for information and collections. Being offered a job post-internship, I am excited as I am now preparing to apply the tools that I've learned towards actually processing BIPOC+ collections to be available for community access this summer!” View the IG post about Ryan.

 

Dianna Ratsamy
Internship: Breaking Down Barriers Program at Jewish Family Service of San Diego

They planned and presented outreach programs focused on mental health and queerness. They let us know “66, loved working closely at Breaking Down Barriers (BDB) with the LGBT+ Outreach Coordinator, Vanessa Pineda. Everyone in the BDB team was super friendly and supportive! I enjoyed working directly with communities through co-presenting mental wellness workshops that center LGBTQ+ people with Vanessa. I also love that she and I always collaborated with community partners to create and plan BDB workshops that meet the specific needs and interests of the people we presented to.” View the IG post about Dianna.

 

Ricardo Valenzuela
Internship: San Diego Pride

He worked on year-round programs and made professional connections while there! He shares “My short time at SD Pride was informative. I learned a lot about the year-round programs offered and all they ways that they give back to the community. The journal reflections were a good way to reflect on my experience.” View the IG post about Ricardo.