Luca DeAngelis is a rising sophomore at Bowdoin College and a George Mitchell Scholar. He will be blogging throughout the summer.
My name is Luca DeAngelis. I grew up in Readfield, Maine and attended the Maranacook schools. Back when I was a sophomore in high school I spent a day job-shadowing at the ACLU for our career day. Almost four years later I am excited to be back at the ACLU of Maine as a summer intern.
The values that the ACLU stands for are values that my family has always taught me. I grew up in a community of family and friends that really positively influenced the way I think. Throughout my life I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by people I love who have taught me so much about the world. Their words and actions showed me how to frame much of my thinking with the ideas of equality and justice. I am fortunate to have a family and community that helped build this framework and vision of the world, from which a passion for social justice could be built.
My sister has long been a role model in showing how to take passion and turn it into meaningful action. When I was nine, my sister led a protest after the administration removed the rainbow pride flag from my high school's lobby. Looking back I think about how important she was as an individual agent of change; she galvanized the student body and made it so that flag was still up when I was a senior 8 years later. Seeing the changes like these that she has been able to make throughout her life has taught me that I myself as an individual can use my own passion to positively impact the world.
My search for a summer position coincided with the post-election months of November and December. I felt then, more than ever, a sense of urgency in finding a way to make change in areas like immigration rights and racial justice. I felt that being a part of a social justice organization that is doing meaningful work would be one of the best things I could do this summer.
Knowing that some of the strongest advocates for change and justice come from the ACLU, it was an obvious starting point for me. I am fortunate enough to get the opportunity to intern at the ACLU of Maine this summer. Any little thing I can do to help the organization feels like I'm adding just a little strength to the resistance. The things I will learn from powerful advocates and the experience I gain from working alongside them will help put me in the best position to make more positive change in the future.
