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Post Author
By: Holly Pappano

Getting to Know the Interns

February 23, 2023
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Getting to know the interns!

Meet Ellie, Holly, and Naime, our three interns at United to Beat Malaria this semester. We asked each of the interns 10 getting-to-know-you questions, listed below. Read on to learn a little more about their interests, and check out the videos linked for each intern to see the questions that were not answered here!

  1. Why did you decide to work for United To Beat Malaria?
  2. What is one fun or surprising fact about you?
  3. What is one of your top bucket-list goals?
  4. If you could see any musician in concert, who would it be?
  5. What emoji do you use most often?
  6. Do you have any guilty pleasures?
  7. If you were a season, which season would you be?
  8. Are you a night owl or an early bird?
  9. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
  10. What are you most excited about right now?

 

Eleanor (Ellie) Willson

(she/her/hers)

Intern, Grassroots Advocacy, United to Beat Malaria

A little bit about Ellie:

From Kansas City, Kansas but living in Nashville, Tennessee for college. Studying Communications and Public Policy at Trevecca Nazarene University. Recovering speech & debate student with a passion for presenting, particularly on international affairs. Enjoy spending time with my cat named Celery (she is not green), reading thriller/mystery novels and guessing the ending, and exploring every coffee shop in a ten-mile radius.

 

A quick Q + A!

Question #1

“I work for United to Beat Malaria because I feel really passionate about granting resources to people who need them more. There are a lot of people in nations, communities, and areas that have big problems, and the solution to those problems are here where we don’t even need them. So the United to Beat Malaria Team is really, really good about allocating these resources to the people who need them the most, but not even just that–they also raise awareness about these issues to people who would not otherwise know that it’s even a problem.

The United to Beat Malaria team works heavily on the shoulders of really passionate volunteers and champions who are willing to help spread this message. And because they spread the message, they spread these resources even further. So that is something I’m super passionate about, and I cannot wait to help lead this team throughout the rest of this semester and beyond.”

Question #3

One of my bucket list goals is to travel around Europe. I’ve never been to Europe, but I also super-duper love history. And so I think that seeing history in person and learning about it is really would just be so much more impactful than just reading about it. Granted, I love reading, but I want to go and do a historical tour. And I also want to see like the Amalfi Coast and just experience Europe, because something that old is very new to me and I think that’ll be really cool.”

Question #7

“Spring! Not only was I born in April, but I also just love the revitalization of the plants and the trees and the weather. Coming back to this feels like the whole world kind of wakes up. I love it.”

Question #8

“I’m not a night owl or morning person. I’m trying to become a morning person, but I’m more of a go-to-bed-at-nine, wake-up-at-nine kind of person. So that kind of just takes out both options.”

Question #9

“If I could live anywhere in the world, at least today, it would be Kansas City. I’m from Kansas City and we just won the Super Bowl, and I love my hometown when we have big wins like that–it’s super awesome. So if I could live anywhere today, it would be back home in Kansas City right now.”

Question #10

“I am the most excited about these books that I just bought the other day. I love reading and I’m so excited to get into them. They are Normal People by Sally Rooney and then The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I still have a couple of books to read before I get to those, but I’m super excited.”

 

To learn more about Ellie, click here.

 


Holly Pappano

(she/her/hers)

Intern, Communications & Digital Media, United to Beat Malaria

A little bit about Holly:

Senior at Miami University triple-majoring in East Asian Studies, Applied Linguistics, and Psychology. Passionate about traveling, film, and culture (and the intersection of all three! See: the Travel Channel.) Speaks Chinese fluently and Korean almost-fluently, and loves to hike, cook, and spend time outdoors.

 

A quick Q + A!

Question #1

“Obviously, I was drawn to–and I admire–the work that the campaign does. The ongoing pursuit of fundraising and advocacy is driving us forward towards beating malaria for good. Moreover, while the overarching point is to eliminate this very preventable disease, defeating malaria is also an issue of global health inequities. Malaria illustrates the intersectionality of social injustice; United to Beat Malaria emphasizes the vulnerability of certain populations, and the ways in which womens’ rights and poverty are also important parts of the battle to end this disease. The campaign’s efforts to bring awareness to these overarching problems in the face of beating malaria is inspiring, alongside the continuous outreach and network of support from passionate donors, and these are major reasons I wanted to work for United to Beat Malaria.”

Question #4

“This is a tough question for me–live music is one of my favorite things in life! I’ve had a good run of concerts lately, but if I could see any band live, it would be Jefferson Airplane. I feel like that would’ve been the most fun concert ever.”

Question #9

“If I could live anywhere in the world, it would definitely be somewhere in southeast Asia–at least for a little. I think Bali or Ho Chi Minh City would be an incredible place to settle for a while. Both are beautiful places with beautiful cultures and a low cost of living!”

Question #10

“I am unsure what I’m ‘most excited’ for right now. I’m very excited to the upcoming Summit, and also can’t wait for my school’s spring break. A part of me is excited to graduate, but rapidly approaching the end of college is definitely a bittersweet feeling.”

 

To learn more about Holly, click here.

 


Naime Phanichewa

(she/her/hers)

Intern, Development & Partnerships, United to Beat Malaria

Naime Phanichewa - Development & Partnerships Intern ...

A little bit about Naime:

My name is Naime Phanichewa, and I am a Development and Partnerships intern. I am currently attending UCLA studying Business Economics with a minor in Global Studies. I was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand but I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in middle school. I have worked for UTBM since September, and I have really enjoyed working with the team. I am very excited to continue working here until my graduation.

 

A quick Q + A!

Question #1

“I decided to work for United to Beat Malaria because I personally thought the cause was very inspiring, and it’s something that I found deeply personal. I actually grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, and malaria is very much still a problem in Thailand–even though it’s now more concentrated in the rural area. Regardless, when I was growing up I always knew about how dangerous malaria was and how helpful bed nets are. Because of that, I wanted to work to help people who are at risk for malaria.

I’ve been an intern since September, and I’ve really enjoyed my time at United to Beat Malaria. I feel like I’ve grown a lot and learned a lot from everything that I’ve been doing for the company.”

Question #2

“My surprising fact is that I am actually double-jointed in multiple areas like my fingers and my shoulders. That’s kind of weird, I don’t know–a lot of people think it’s kind of gross.”

Question #7

“If I were a season, I think I would be a spring–that’s my favorite season. The weather’s not too hot, but it’s also not too cold, and it’s becoming more bright every day. And the days become longer!

Question #9

“If I could live anywhere in the world… I don’t know. I feel like I like to travel too much to just decide on one place. But I don’t really like the cold weather, I’m not used to it. I’ve never really lived anywhere cold; being in the San Francisco Bay area is like the coldest place I have ever lived. And you know, that’s still California!”

To learn more about Naime, click here.

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