Meet the Interns: Amanda Nowlin

(Jacksonville Office)

1. Tell us a little about yourself...

My name is Amanda Nowlin, and I am a Women Studies major at The University of West Florida with a double minor in Sociology and Child Welfare. During my free time, I stay highly involved with organizations on campus and around the state. I also enjoy spending my time reading, watching Netflix, and of course sleeping.

2. Why are you involved with LGBT activism?

I mean why not? I personally feel that everyone deserves to be treated equally and that no one should be discriminated based on who they are and the life they live. We are all human and deserve the same rights and treatment. I started my involvement in LGBT activism in my high school years by being involved in the Gay Straight Alliance. Also, with gender/diversity being my academic focus in college, I have been able to grow and educate myself in the diversity of people and it has only fueled my desire more to be an activist and make a difference. Being a part of the LGBT community myself, it means a lot to get out and fight for the rights of myself and my community.

3. Why did you want to intern at Equality Florida?

Equality Florida is an organization that I highly support and is an organization that has kept me up to date over the last few years with what it going on around Florida when it came to policy and the legal issues. While being home in Jacksonville for the summer, I really wanted to get involved in the LGBT community that I had not been a part of since high school. I wanted to intern with Equality Florida for this particular office because it is new, and I want to help it get up and running so that this organization can continue to make a difference in a new city.

4. What are your plans after you graduate?

After I graduate, I plan to attend a Graduate School for Student Affairs and work on a college campus impacting the lives of students. I would like to attend a program with a focus in Social Justice and hopefully work in a LGBT or Women’s center during my time there.

Stay tuned next week for the next blog post in our "Meet The Interns" series!