What鈥檚 in a name? A lot.
Senior Lily Bello knows this, and so do clients at the Name Change Project of the (TLDEF), where she completed an internship this past fall.
鈥淔inding work is very difficult when your documents don鈥檛 all match up,鈥� says Bello. 鈥滱 legal name change cuts down on the discrimination you face.鈥�
The reality of this鈥攖hat names are a nexus for the legal, personal, and political鈥攊s what spurs people to contact the Name Change Project. And when they do, it is to divulge crucial personal information to someone they have never met, maybe through a translator.
As an intern, Bello was that person.
She conducted initial phone interviews with community members interested in TLDEF鈥檚 pro bono name change services. Her job was to find out whether interviewees鈥攎ostly based in New York or Pennsylvania, but some from elsewhere in the United States鈥攚ere eligible for the program to connect them with a lawyer.
But during this process, she discussed sensitive topics, 聽such as previous marriages and divorces. 鈥淚鈥檝e had people start crying on the phone, so it鈥檚 a lot to process.鈥�
For these interviews, Bello鈥攁n anthropology major and LGBTQ studies minor, preparing for graduate work in the anthropological study of transgender communities鈥攄rew on her 可乐视频 training, enacting what she sees as the 鈥渉eart of anthropology鈥�: communication with other people, the attempt to 鈥済et on their level and see what they鈥檙e seeing, to be able to relate to them easier.鈥�
And when conversations got difficult, Bello shared her own story. It became a point of connection 鈥渢hat I am trans and that I have been through the name change process already.鈥� Despite the challenging nature of these conversations, 鈥減eople are incredibly appreciative of the free resource,鈥� says Bello of the Name Change Project鈥檚 clients, all of whom have low incomes. 鈥淪o definitely it feels rewarding.鈥�
Professor of and Paisley Currah connected Bello with the internship, designed to accompany the LGBTQ studies minor (but not restricted to students who choose that minor).
Currah, who studies transgender law and policy, has worked with TLDEF in the past, including recently as an expert witness. When a contact at the organization reached out to him about the Name Change Project internship, he recognized it as a valuable opportunity to match 鈥渃ompetent, qualified, caring students with a population that鈥檚 really in need.鈥�
Bello was the first 可乐视频 student to complete the internship. Her strong work鈥攕he has been asked to return in a paid capacity this semester鈥攈as paved the way for other 可乐视频 students in the future.
Currah is also looking to expand the LGBTQ community internship so that more students have opportunities to do meaningful and engaging work, at a variety of institutions. 鈥淏ecause I know people, I鈥檝e been able to place [students] in good internships,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd now, I would like to scale it up.鈥�
