Name: Mahira Tiwana

Class Year: 2016

Internship Placement: I am an advocacy intern at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and I will be assisting the Advocacy Manager of the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter in several projects. My tasks are writing-oriented, and I will be drafting position papers for the Senate to review, newsletters, and social media posts to compel members and the general public to support the cause.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

I chose to spend my summer working at The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Greater Delaware Valley Chapter, based in Philadelphia. The Chapter is one of many across the nation helping individuals afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis, as well as their families. The mission of the organization is to aid in the eventual eradication and cure of Multiple Sclerosis, and to provide the maximum amount of support and help to afflicted individuals in various ways; raising awareness, fundraising for research, advocating for policy changes, etc. I signed on as an advocacy intern; I work with the senior advocacy manager at the NGO, and our main focus is to advocate for changes in legislation and policies that will make living with MS easier and as comfortable as possible, in addition to promoting research for therapies and cures, etc. My work basically consists of composing position papers and newsletter articles addressing policies and legislation that the organization is trying to bring into effect, in order to compel voters and politicians to rally with our cause and provide support. I feel that through all the work that I have been putting in this summer so far, I’ve put my two cents towards making a substantial difference and that’s all that really matters.

My schedule allows for plenty of time off, and when I’m not worrying about what I’m going to do after college, I get to go explore the East Coast. Philadelphia on the weekdays, and other cities on weekends. Of course, Ramadan has been going on throughout the month of June, and will extend onto mid-July. Even though I have been fasting, my internship has allowed me to keep on working without feeling exhausted or near collapsing, and I’ve been able to make it work. I’m hoping to have learned so much more by the end of this summer, and to experience so much more within the bounds of my internship and beyond.