Every month, Sahiyo likes to highlight the incredible work of our staff members, fellows, and interns. Today, we’re spotlighting Sahiyo’s recent Policy Intern, Nareen Pogozelski. Nareen is a current senior at the University of Southern California, set to graduate in May 2026 with her Bachelor’s in Public Policy. She plans to attend law school—with hopes of potentially working in human rights and international law—and is currently preparing to apply in the upcoming cycle. She has former experience in community-building and teamwork settings through her university-based jobs, alongside her prior legal internship with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. 

Nareen is currently searching for opportunities in the legal field or policy development and analysis, intending to translate her experience in coalition-based and survivor-informed advocacy to her future legal career.

How did you first hear about Sahiyo?

I first encountered Sahiyo when searching for policy internships in late 2024, during my junior year of college. At that point, I had never had an internship, and I wanted to gain experience in my desired field while building on my social justice and human rights-based advocacy interests. I was familiar with female genital mutilation and cutting because I have a few family members who are survivors. Still, I was not aware of the harmful practice’s presence in the United States, and was very intrigued by the internship’s focus on legislative advocacy against FGM/C.

What was your experience of learning about female genital cutting (FGM/C) for the first time like?

I learned about FGC when I was in middle school, when one of my family members, who is a survivor, shared her experience of FGC’s impact on her pregnancies and giving birth. At the time, I still could not comprehend or visualize the process of even giving birth, so hearing about her experience—with type 3 FGM/C particularly—was difficult for me to understand. Not only did the actual procedures seem inhumane and unnecessary, but learning that it is also often done without anesthetic or medical expertise made the concept that much more devastating. Growing up in Sudan, this was a tradition in their family and community, underscoring the ideals of “purity” and “cleanliness” for women.

When and how did you first get involved with Sahiyo?

After an initial interview with Sahiyo in 2024, I was fortunate to receive an internship offer. My experience speaking with Mariya was extremely pleasant, and I enjoyed learning about the position which would give me the opportunity to gain more involved, hands-on experience (albeit remotely), since the Sahiyo internship spots are relatively limited. However, at this time, I decided to pursue another venture; yet throughout, Sahiyo remained on my mind. In August 2025, going into my senior year of university, I reapplied and interviewed with Juliet Shires, the former Policy Fellow, who was very welcoming and provided valuable insight into the role, drawing on her previous experience as a Policy Intern. I received an offer for the six-month role again, which I began at the beginning of September and just recently completed in March. 

What does your work with Sahiyo involve?

My work focused on legislative advocacy with the DMV Coalition to End FGM/C. My key contributions included:

• Legislative Outreach: I spearheaded extensive outreach, cold-emailing over 80 Maryland legislators. This effort secured meetings with 10 representatives and ultimately gained bill sponsorship from Delegate Dana Jones.
• Event Coordination & Content: I created social media assets for the “Walk to End FGM/C” and authored a blog post regarding the MLAW conference to highlight the Coalition’s policy goals.
• Webinar Facilitation: I served as the lead organizer for a capstone webinar on Maryland’s FGM/C law, managing everything from speaker recruitment and slide creation to co-facilitating the live event and producing post-webinar reports and social media segments.

How has your involvement with Sahiyo impacted your life?

The importance of network building in community-based policy advocacy became especially apparent throughout my time at Sahiyo. Working with dedicated individuals from different fields, (e.g., public health, law, community engagement), showed me that the greatest success comes from collaboration and resource-sharing among individuals with similar goals and interests, building broader networks with greater capacity to advance meaningful change. 

My internship also provided me with valuable experience in conducting outreach efforts, including cold emailing and participating in meetings with legislators or their offices. In my prior internship experience, I gained exposure to courtroom procedures but remained largely a passive observer. Conversely, at Sahiyo, some of the progress and results depend on the work completed by interns, forcing me to get more comfortable with managing numerous priorities with set deadlines and communicating when issues arise. Working in a smaller organization made me realize I enjoy being in an environment where each individual is acknowledged, their contributions are valued, and the relationships are genuine, providing me with insight for my future job and career search.    

What words of wisdom would you like to share with others who may be interested in supporting Sahiyo and the movement against FGC?

For those interested in getting involved with Sahiyo and community-based activism, don’t hesitate to join. You can expect to learn from and collaborate with new perspectives, gaining insight from survivors and other experts from various backgrounds. If you’re nervous because you don’t have prior knowledge or experience with FGM/C, understand that having an open mind and a willingness to learn with humility and compassion is the most important thing. Community engagement is the backbone of advocacy. This is especially true for issues like FGM/C, where public awareness is low and community outreach is a critical factor in driving change. Getting the opportunity to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds, (e.g., coalition members, survivors, fellow policy interns, and volunteers), all dedicated to the same goal, was encouraging and a valuable experience, showing how the accumulation of individual efforts creates meaningful collective change.