Meet the Green Dot interns! These incredible women work tirelessly to change the way we talk about safety and bystander intervention. Erin Moran, Juliette Verrengia, and Anna Marshall all intern for Darcie Folsom, the Director of Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy on campus. They shared with us how they stay positive in light of the serious nature of their work, what it is like to work for Green Dot, and the powerful impacts they hope to make on Conn!
(Top left: Juliette, Top right: Darcie, Bottom left: Anna, Bottom right: Erin)
Class Year:
Erin: 2016
Juliette: 2016
Anna: 2016
Hometown:
Erin: Lincoln, New Hampshire
Juliette: Chappaqua, New York
Anna: Norridgewock, Maine
Major/Minor:
Erin: Biology major, Environmental Studies minor
Juliette: Human Development major, Sociology and Religious Studies double minor
Anna: Environmental Science and Anthropology, Geology minor
Extracurricular activities besides Green Dot:
Erin: Member of the Women’s Lacrosse team, SafetyNet
Juliette: President/Producer for The Women’s Empowerment Initiative, Vice President of SGA, spin instructor, Slavery Ends Today, SafetyNet
Anna: Goodwin-Niering Center, Diver at Mystic Aquarium, Outreach Chair for The Women’s Empowerment Initiative, ARC Tutor, ES SAB, SafetyNet
Favorite place on campus:
Erin: The Green
Juliette: Coffee Grounds
Anna: Mamacoke Island
Spirit animal:
Erin: Sadly…. a sloth
Juliette: Most likely a meerkat but also maybe a penguin
Anna: Toss-up between a porcupine and a lemur
What is your favorite part about being a Green Dot Intern?
Erin: I love the energy that our job encompasses. Everyone we work with, including ourselves, are passionate about the purpose and content of our work, creating a go-get-em environment. And obviously getting to hang out with some of my favorite people make it seem like more of a hobby rather than a task.
Juliette: hard to pick just one! Getting to work with a group of really incredible and like-minded students in SafetyNet, learning about the most effective way to spread the word about bystander intervention, having (almost) unlimited access to Darcie’s couch and coffee maker, etc.
Anna: We are constantly supporting and pushing each other. I love being able to bounce completely crazy programing ideas off of each other during an intern meeting and then twenty minutes later we are putting the ideas into action.
What is your favorite Green Dot event of the year?
Erin: I really like Rock the Dot, last year the a cappella groups were involved and who doesn’t love a good concert? Being an athlete, I love all the Green Dot games (soccer, volleyball, hockey, lacrosse). I think they are an awesome way to promote Green Dot, allowing parents and non-Conn students to understand what Green Dot is and how important the program is on our campus.
Juliette: Speak Out! It’s in April as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Definitely come.
Anna: Tough choices- I agree with J, Speak Out is incredibly powerful. I also like Rock the Dot or Rock the Green because they are very accessible events that allow for a lot of the student to interact and learn about the goals of Green Dot.
What have you learned most from interning, and what impact do you hope to make?
Erin: I agree with J, I’ve always been apart of sports team but working within this team has taught me a different kind of teamwork. Our work deals with sensitive issues but when we come together in efforts to make change or bring about awareness, it becomes a bit more uplifting! My freshman year I decided to get involved in Green Dot because I saw how much it meant to our Conn community, and how fluid the language of Green Dot was on campus. Over the years, I have witnessed countless people step-in to perform a Green Dot in order to prevent a Red Dot, and more recently, we have seen a rise in proactive Green Dots! Overall, I hope the program continues to reach all different audiences on campus in order to accomplish the overarching goal of fostering a safe environment on our campus!
Juliette: Teamwork makes the dream work! Sometimes doing work around these issues can be a real bummer and I think it’s pretty normal to feel discouraged every now and then. That’s why it’s super important to surround yourself with good people that can help lift you back up and remind you of your goals. Then you keep it pushing. For me, this program is about what each individual can do to better their surroundings at any given moment–in the face of a red dot situation or otherwise. Of course the goal of Green Dot is to create a safer community where sexual violence isn’t tolerated or perpetrated, but I also hope to influence people to trust and value themselves enough to believe that they can make a difference. Because then they (you) will!
Anna: The little pieces of proactive change add up. I’ve learned that you cannot change an entire culture single-handedly overnight but when you make a constant and conscious effort to have conversations that aren’t being had, those conversations and awareness then grow in magnitude and numbers every day. Since Green Dot was implemented at Conn 6 years ago, it has given rise to a culture of accountability that has helped change the way we respond to power-based personal violence. The language and goals of Green Dot are now part of our community, and students hold each other to it. People step in and speak out when something isn’t right. For me, seeing that shift in culture in the 3.5 years I have been on this campus is incredibly powerful. I want to continue to push that even further, looking at how these conversations can be incorporated into all aspects of campus life and beyond.
Any secrets about working with Darcie you can share?
Erin: Her coffee orders can be very…. flavorful? Oh and she’s very big on neat handwriting, which I also agree with, it just looks better, ya know?
Juliette: If you give her gluten free cookies she’ll really love you forever. Also she’s dope but that’s not a secret.
Anna: Must love coffee, dogs, and buying out the green decoration section of every store. For real though, she is absolutely phenomenal in every way possible.