KIP Student Feature – Dasha Ucko
Dasha Ucko (CAS and CDS’28, Political Science and Data Science) turned their personal interests and educational background into a position as an intern at Turn Up Activism, a non-profit focused on youth civic engagement that has registered upwards of 400,000 students since their founding in 2019.
Q&A with Dasha Ucko
Could you give us a brief description of the organization you are interning with and what your primary responsibilities are during this internship?
I’m interning with Turn Up Activism. As a part of it, I have an assigned educational task about a topic such as gun control, income inequality, or criminal justice. The rest of the week, I do grassroots activism, such as writing postcards encouraging people to vote, phone-banking with the same goal, or going to (and volunteering at) protests.
What area(s) of justice does this organization work in and how did your internship help promote/fulfill these justice goals?
One of this organization’s main goals is to encourage people to vote, and so trying to improve our democracy by making it one in which everyone speaks up for the issues they care about. Likewise, by doing the weekly educational tasks and going to protests myself, I am making myself informed about issues I care about and then advocating for change.
Has your work this summer changed how you think about justice issues?
How did you find out about this internship, and what advice would you give to students hoping to apply for this funding opportunity in the future?
I found out about this internship on LinkedIn by searching for issues related to politics and advocacy. The advice I would give to future students is to look for positions that match their passions, and then apply to/reach out to several to make sure they secure at least one position.
How has the Kilachand coursework and/or the KIP summer mentoring sessions helped prepare you for the work you are doing during your internship?
My Kilachand seminars were about the problems in our education system and then about controversial scientists throughout history, both of which touched on various figures who fought for the things believed in even when it was hard or they were punished for it. Additionally some of the things I’m advocating for are not cutting the funds for science or education, thus providing another connection to my Kilachand classes.
Learn more about the Kilachand Internship Program here.