Our Interns
Internships are offered on a limited basis to provide students beneficial training opportunities to complement the intern’s formal education and prevention projects. Internships are unpaid, tied to the intern’s formal education program, accommodate the intern’s academic commitments, and designed to accentuate the intern’s academic interests.
Alyssa Ragoobir, Fall 2022
Alyssa Ragoobir is a Tulane University senior majoring in Public Health and pursuing a combined degree in Master of Health Administration. Throughout the fall of 2022, Alyssa worked with the UP Institute and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC). During this time, she worked on designing multiple graphics for campaigns to reduce corporal punishment and raise awareness for recognizing abusive injuries. She collaborated on editing APSAC’s 2021 annual report and created a one-pager to showcase all 2023 national child abuse conferences. Alyssa plans on continuing her Master of Health Administration at Tulane and hopes to work in managing a children’s hospital one day.
Walden Ferrell, Summer 2022
Walden Ferrell is currently a senior at Tulane University studying Psychology and Urban Studies. Throughout the spring and summer of 2022, Walden has worked with the UP Institute and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC). During this time, she has worked on increasing the effectiveness of the Teens, Sex, and the Law presentations, analyzed website traffic, and assisted with the No Hit Zone newsletter. In the spring of 2023, Walden plans to begin her Masters in Psychological Sciences before fully entering the field of social work advocacy.
Irina Parau, Fall 2022
Irina Parau is a senior at Tulane University, majoring in Public Health and Psychology. She chose these fields of study because of her interest in finding ways to provide equitable access to health care for people in disadvantaged communities. She is also has a passion for understanding how the mind works and what motivates people to take action. Irina will be an intern for the UP Institute in the Fall of 2022, where she hopes to gain experience and knowledge that will help define her career path.
Aisha Marston, Fall 2021
Aisha Marston is currently a senior at Tulane University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in French. Throughout the Fall 2021 semester, Aisha extensively worked on a curriculum guide for victim advocacy as well as focused her efforts on developing the social media platforms for both the Up Institute and American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC). Moreover, she worked to develop and edit the Facebook page that will be used to promote No Hit Zones. She is eager to further pursue her interests in child development care in her future career, thanks to her exposure to the ACEs course and experience interning with the Up Institute and APSAC.
Sam Cole, Fall 2021
Sam Cole is a current senior at Tulane University. He is studying public health, and is also currently in the combined 4+1 BSPH and MPH degree program. After graduation, he plans to go to medical school, where he intends to become a Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician. Throughout the Fall 2021 semester, he worked on several projects for both the Up Institute as well as the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC). Sam primarily worked on planning the first national No Hit Zone conference in Austin, Texas. He reached out to more than 70 Child Advocacy Centers and child-serving organizations, as well as attended the summit committee meeting with the leaders of the conference. Another major project that Sam worked on was the creation of the Up Institute flyer that highlights all of the trainings and presentations that are offered. After the conclusion of the internship, Sam intends on using his training from both this internship as well as from the Adverse Child Experiences course at Tulane as he starts his medical education.
Conor Green, Fall 2021
Conor Green is a current senior at Tulane University where he is pursuing a double major in Political Science of International Relations and History, alongside a Strategy, Leadership and Analytics Minor (SLAM). After graduation, he plans to attend law school and launch a career in which he can advocate for marginalized populations in the field of immigration. Throughout the 2021 Fall Semester, Conor worked extensively on multiple projects for both the UP Institute and American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC). Conor made noteworthy contributions to crafting a military readiness guide intended to educate families and adolescents living on American military bases about sexual assault and methods of prevention. In addition, Conor assisted APSAC through data collection, event planning, and verifying post-nominals for guests at APSAC events. Another project taken on by Conor included constructing a presentation investigating how the legal system often vilifies children who have exhibited problematic sexual behavior. Conor is eager to utilize the experience he has gained in legislative advocacy and administrative work as a foundation for his legal career. Most importantly, he hopes to embody the empathy and giving nature of the UP Institute that he has learned so much from over the course of the semester.
Cassandra Nelson, Winter 2020 & Summer 2021
Cassandra is a pre-law senior at Tulane University, double majoring in Political Science and Sociology with a minor in Gender & Sexuality Studies. In September 2020, Cassandra tirelessly updated 126 slides for the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), which are now used to educate professionals in child abuse prevention. This summer, she has dedicated a considerable amount of time collaborating in the development of the VAC curriculum on child maltreatment and adverse childhood experiences, which will be taught at Tulane University. Furthermore, she independently developed a summary presentation of 11 research studies on resilience in maltreated children which will be presented at the “Grammys.” On July 13, 2021, Cassandra trained and served as a moderator for the APSAC’s 28th Colloquium, a 3-day national conference on child welfare. She has also helped push the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act through the state legislature by enlisting support from organizations across Louisiana to ban corporal punishment in public schools and join our committee aimed at encouraging legislators to approve the bill. On June 30, 2021, Cassandra represented the UP Institute and attended the Congressional briefing in support of this bill. All her work in legislative advocacy has intensified her passion for law, and she intends to dedicate her time to protecting children and adolescents as a future attorney.
Peyton Schaefer, Summer 2021
Peyton Schaefer is a senior at Tulane University, where she is earning her B.S. in Public Health with a minor in Business Management. She is deeply committed to increasing health equity and is excited to take what she is learning at her time with the UP Institute and applying it to her future career in public health. During this summer, Peyton has collaborated with other interns on a variety of projects, as well as taking some on independently. She has assisted in the development of the VAC curriculum on child maltreatment and adverse childhood experiences, which will be taught at Tulane University, and worked as a room monitor for the virtual National APSAC Colloquium. Furthermore, Peyton independently edited and revised the website for The UP Institute and No Hit Zones to update the existing resources and format new additions. Moving forward, she hopes to continue child safety advocacy and focus on the effectiveness of upstream solutions in public health.
Vincie Wang, Summer 2021
Vincie is a senior at Tulane University, earning her B.S. in Economics and Psychology. After graduation, she plans to go to law school where she would continue to advocate for children, women, and other survivors of abuse. In the summer of 2021, Vincie devoted her time to develop and edit the VAC curriculum on child maltreatment and adverse childhood experiences, which will be taught at Tulane University. In order to push the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act through the state legislature, Vincie has tirelessly enlisted support from organizations across Louisiana and Georgia to ban corporal punishment in public schools. In June 2021, Vincie attended the Congressional hearing on this bill as a proud representative of the UP Institute. Through this internship, she has not only gained hard skills in legislative advocacy and curriculum development, but has also reconfirmed her dedication toward law and justice. She intends to continue helping vulnerable individuals and communities gain equitable access to justice.
Emma Urdangen, Spring & Summer 2021
Emma is a graduate of Tulane University class of 2021, where she received a B.S. in Psychology with minors in Political Science and Sociology. Emma is excited to take what he has learned in her time working with the UP Institute and apply it to her future career aspirations working with children in related fields such as social work and law. During the Spring 2021 semester, Emma worked with other interns on a variety of projects. She assisted in research in translating peer-reviewed articles from the Child Maltreatment Journal into summary slides for the child-abuse prevention “Grammys,” and co-authoring an article about NHZs for Virtus. She compiled a Black History Month document highlighting child abuse prevention leaders throughout history. Additionally, she created a “whereas” document proposing the implementation of a national “C.H.A.M.P.S.” week to recognize the various disciplines actively working to prevent child abuse. Emma is looking forward to continuing her internship with UP this summer, and taking all she learned from this experience into her future endeavors!
Evelyn Lee, Spring & Summer 2021
Evelyn is a senior at Tulane studying Psychology with minors in Philosophy and Spanish. During the Spring 2021 semester, Evelyn worked with other interns on the AAC courthouse book for adults with disabilities. In addition, she translated peer-reviewed articles from the Child Maltreatment Journal into summary slides for the “Grammys”, assisted a parent in building a NHZ pediatrician packet, and co-authored a NHZ article for Virtus. She also created a document for the implementation of CHAMPS week to recognize the people working to prevent child abuse. Continuing into the summer, Evelyn compiled contact organizations and legislators regarding the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act and represented the Up Institute when attending the bill’s congressional briefing. She further contributed to the Victim Advocacy Curriculum and served as a Technical Assistant Moderator for APSAC’s 28th Annual Colloquium.
Jessica Li, Summer 2021
Jessica is a Senior at Tulane University studying Psychology and Cognitive Science with a minor in Sociology. She is interested in ultimately contributing to the field of Child Development and has appreciated learning about child abuse prevention in the Tulane ACES course along with interning at The UP Institute. During the Spring 2021 semester, Jessica contributed by increasing APSAC Anyk engagement, translating peer-reviewed journals into summary slides, aiding a parent in building a Pediatrician packet, creating a No Hit Zone one-pager, and issuing the first No Hit Zone newsletter. Additionally, Jessica worked closely with other interns in writing the AAC courthouse book for adults with disabilities, and the VIRTUS article on No HIt Zones. Volunteering her time, Jessica aided Summer interns in efforts to educate organizations and legislators about the recent Protecting Our Students in Schools Act. She also contributed to the development of the VAC (Victim Assistance Curriculum) on child maltreatment. Furthermore, Jessica attended the 28th annual APSAC Colloquium as a moderator, listening to presentations regarding resilience in children and families, and forensic interviewing.