Phoebe Thaler `19 spent her summer running around D.C–– from her office to protests, to rallies, to Capitol Hill.  As an intern at National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), no two days were the same.  The Supreme Court would hand out a decision or something would be happening on The Hill or the president would do something,” Thaler says, “and they’d just be like, ‘interns, get in an Uber––we’ll pay for it

Rubin, Julia

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A Summer with National Center for Transgender Equality

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Roger Williams UniversityDOCS@RWUFeatured News Story The Week at Roger10-5-2018A Summer with National Center for TransgenderEqualityJulia RubinRoger Williams UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_newsPart of the Higher Education CommonsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Week at Roger at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in FeaturedNews Story by an authorized administrator of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact mwu@rwu.edu.Recommended CitationRubin, Julia, "A Summer with National Center for Transgender Equality" (2018). Featured News Story. 208.https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_news/20810/9/2018 A Summer with National Center for Transgender Equality | Roger Williams Universityhttps://www.rwu.edu/news/news-archive/summer-national-center-transgender-equality 1/2 News ArchiveA Summer with National Center for Transgender EqualityGraduating Senior Phoebe Thaler spent this past summer working to support the rightsof those most vulnerable in our community.Thaler with one of the Legal Interns at the "FamiliesBelong Together" march.October 5, 2018 Julia RubinBRISTOL, R.I. – Phoebe Thaler `19 spent her summer running around D.C–– from her o ce to protests, to rallies, toCapitol Hill.  As an intern at National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), no two days were the same. "TheSupreme Court would hand out a decision or something would be happening on The Hill or the president would dosomething,” Thaler says, “and they’d just be like, ‘interns, get in an Uber––we’ll pay for it."In addition to attending pivotal events in the capital, Thaler learned about the innerworkings of a nonpro torganization, was invited to all sta  meetings, and worked on several important long-term projects from di erentdepartments.Thaler describes one of her largest projects, which focused on the Healthcare Rights Law, a provision in theA ordable Care Act that protects all di erent marginalized groups from discrimination in health care. She created alist of trans-inclusive health care providers across the country, helped organize a “Protect Trans Health” rally, andproduced educational materials on the topic.Additionally, she worked in NCTE’s ID Documents center, which provides individuals with information on how tochange their name and genders on federal documents. She helped prepare a publication  lled with helpful tips tomake the process more accessible. She also did outreach to improve NCTE’s connections with allies and advocatesin the U.S. territories in order to learn about their policies and work on bills a ecting their populations.At RWU, Thaler majors in Political Science and American Studies, with minors in Gender and Sexuality Studies, andAnthropology + Sociology. She is interested in the ways that feminist, queer, and race studies intersect with politics,policy, and culture.On campus, she serves as Assistant Director of Programs and Leadership for the P.E.A.C.E program, a social justicepeer mentoring program. She is also Executive Secretary for the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, a campus wideLGBTQ+ organization that runs multiple programs throughout the year, such as Coming Out Week, Pride Week, TransWeek of Remembrance, and Drag Queen Bingo.10/9/2018 A Summer with National Center for Transgender Equality | Roger Williams Universityhttps://www.rwu.edu/news/news-archive/summer-national-center-transgender-equality 2/2Thaler has taken interdisciplinary classes on her interwoven interests and has had plenty of hands-on leadershipexperience on campus. Last summer, she interned at Senator Tammy Baldwin’s o ce on Capitol Hill. A er having in-class, on-campus, and political internship experiences, she wanted to view the issues she cares about through anonpro t lens.She came across the National Center for Transgender Equality as a major social justice organization working for transpolicy, advocacy, and public education for trans folks so she applied. Working in this space was profoundlyimpactful, both personally and professionally.“I haven’t yet  gured out the words to describe what it is to work in a place full of people like you, but it was justamazing to be in that space, to be focusing on work, but knowing you’re going to have support from everyonearound you,” Thaler says.A sense of safety, belonging and support allowed Thaler and her colleagues to advocate for some of the mostpressing policies of our time, all through a framework of trans equality.“We worked on so many di erent issues–– healthcare, education, immigration, criminal justice, sex work, state policy,documents,” Thaler says. “On top of that, we worked to make sure the most vulnerable in our community were alsocovered in what we talked about, by intersecting issues with race and class.”Along with being personally,  professionally, and socially impactful, Thaler’s experience at NCTE helped her clarifyher career goals.“Thinking about the last two summers in D.C.,” she says, “I decided I de nitely want to do human rights policy work,particularly around trans issues and then secondarily around queer issues, women’s issues, issues for folks of color,and I do want to be in D.C., and I’ve also decided I do want to work in the nonpro t side at least to start o .”Hands-on experience helps students  nd work that aligns with their passions a er college, says Assistant Director ofthe Center for Career and Professional Development Alexandra Finney. It also helps students narrow down theirinterests. “Phoebe has an advantage, from her real-world experience, in the fact that she knows how di erent professionals,o ces, and industries work. She has a higher level of personal insight into what she likes and does not like about herchosen  eld, because of her exposure to the workplace,” Finney says.Thaler notes that her experience with NCTE helped her develop countless workplace skills, such as networking,maintaining a calendar, sending professional emails, and taking meeting notes.“You make so many connections and gain all these real-world skills that really supplement what we do in school,” shesays.  “I would recommend for folks to get any internship experience they can.”  Looking for an internship? RWU's Center for Career & Professional Development can help. ACADEMICS LIFE @ RWU FEINSTEIN SCHOOL OF SOCIAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES

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A Summer with National Center for Transgender Equality

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