Meet Our Summer 2021 Interns!

Hi, I’m Grace and I’m so excited to join the Novel Hand team for the summer! I am a rising junior at Vanderbilt University, where I’m majoring in Political Science, Spanish, and Russian. I live in Richmond, Virginia and when I’m not in class, you can probably find me going on long walks, hanging out with Lewie, my six-year-old brother, or spending an unhealthy amount of time on TikTok.

As a Writing and Research intern, I am hoping to write articles in both English and Spanish, and I am looking forward to learning about and sharing my opinions on topics related to refugees and immigration and exploring the intersection of race, language background, and education policy in the United States. I’ve always enjoyed writing, whether it be on my own time or even academically, but I have never had the opportunity to share my voice through a platform like Novel Hand. I am thrilled to work alongside my peers who are also passionate about researching and analyzing solutions to humanitarian issues. 

Hello! I am a recent graduate from Washington University in St. Louis with double majors in Finance and Marketing and a minor in Chinese. I am from San Jose, California and will be moving to Chicago after graduation. In my free time, I love learning about various cultures and experimenting with dance styles. 

As someone who has attended a variety of public and private schools in the US and abroad, I am eager to focus on solutions for prominent issues in K-12 education. I am excited to work with Novel Hand to explore classroom pedagogy and administrative policies, as well as its impact on development and equity.

Hello, I’m Claire and I’m a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt University! I’m currently majoring in Political Science and Economics with a minor in Business. I’m from Los Angeles, California, and in my free time I love to journal, as well as cook and bake for my friends and family. I’m also a huge movie fanatic as well, and am willing to watch any kind of movie!

As a intern for Writing and Research, I’m interested in exploring topics regarding criminal justice, specifically the school to prison pipeline and the decriminalization of marijuana, as well as socioeconomic justice specifically regarding food insecurity and food deserts. I’m also a huge advocate for food stability and justice and would love to write about how government policies affect our personal physical and environmental food choices and decisions. I look forward to writing for Novel Hand with my peers on this amazing platform! 

Hello, my name is Lucy Swearingen and I am from Reynolds, Georgia. I’m currently a rising senior at Belmont University where I am studying journalism and French. In my free time I love playing with my cats, painting and watching bad reality TV.

I am very excited to be a writing and research intern at Novel Hand this summer, and I am looking forward to improving my research abilities and learning more about topics in poverty and development, as well as criminal justice and social enterprise. I am particularly interested in how climate change affects global poverty and wealth inequality.

Hello, I’m Scarlett and I am looking forward to working with Novel Hand this summer as a writing and research intern. I am a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in Political Science and Global Studies with a regional concentration in Latin America. In my spare time I work on the miniature wildlife garden on my apartment balcony, watch the birds that visit it, read about politics and history, and listen to Spanish podcasts.

I am excited to use my time here to explore issues of environment, poverty, criminal justice, and the many ways in which these overlap. I am especially interested in researching which policies have been the most successfully implemented with the most impact. Topics that particularly capture my interest include the militarization of police, political corruption in Latin America, and the affordable housing crisis. 

My name is Natasha Chisholm and I am from Orlando, Florida. I’m so excited to be joining Novel Hand this summer! I am a rising sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in Global Studies with minors in Applied Linguistics and Russian. A few fun facts about me: I love playing the piano and composing music, watching teenage coming-of-age romantic comedies, and reading psychological thrillers and mysteries.

I’ve been interested in delving deeper into court cases that set precedents for refugee rights ever since I took a class at WashU focused on refugee and immigration policy. I hope to explore immigration law and case study more, as well as define the roles that both the Northern Triangle of Central America and the U.S. have played when it comes to creating immigration policy. I’m excited to engage in this work in the collaborative environment that Novel Hand has to offer, as I know that all of us are not only working to identify or describe the problems related to a humanitarian issue, but work towards finding the solutions to these problems.

Hello Novel Hand, I’m Ari! I’m from the Bay Area in California, but I’ll be making a big move as an incoming freshman at UNC Chapel Hill, where I’ll be studying Political Science and Public Policy. My main interest areas are immigration, equity, and politics, but I look forward to expanding my horizons through writing for Novel Hand. In my free time, I embroider, reinforce California stereotypes as a surfer, and hang out with my two Australian Shepherds. 

I’ve been heavily involved in social justice and environmental advocacy almost my entire life, and I’m excited to take my interest to the next level at Novel Hand by combining education and impact. This summer, I hope to explore LGBTQ issues, voting rights, and environmental fashion.

Hi Novel Hand! I’m Rae Larrinaga, and I’m so happy to be writing for the Journal this summer! I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, but my heart lies in New York City, where I’ll be living for the summer. This fall, I’ll be a senior at Vanderbilt University. There, I study Medicine, Health, and Society, concentrating on the intersection between Medicine with the Humanities and the Arts. I also study creative writing, to move towards my goal of being a writer in many different fields. In my free time, I love being outside, whether I’m backpacking, paddling, or rock climbing, and exploring new music in the indie and rock genres. 

As an intern here, I look forward to writing about issues surrounding environmentalism and sustainability. On this subject, I will look at not only how we as individuals can make an impact, but how we can look critically at larger systemic structures that impact the planet. Beyond that, I’m interested in criminal justice, stemming from my previous work as a mitigation specialist at the Criminal Defender’s office in Tampa. I hope to write about alternatives to incarceration as well as other movements we can make towards a less problematic justice system. 

Hello, my name is Katherine (Katie) Cho and I am a rising Sophomore studying Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University! I’m from the Triangle area in North Carolina and in my free time, I enjoy playing sports, reading (fantasy and historical fiction are my favorites), and hanging out with my family. I especially love playing board games and just chilling with a new TV show or movie series!

As an intern with Novel Hand, I am very excited to explore social justice issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and StopAsianHate movement, not just as they are seen in the news, but their progressions throughout history. Along with this, I hope to delve deeper into the topics of systemic racism, the model minority myth, and the effects of capitalism. I look forward to working with my Novel Hand peers in order to bring about unbiased and impactful articles!