College Internship Program (CIP) Berkeley

"It's good for gaining independence. If I didn't come to CIP I wouldn't be very good at living on my own."

"I'm a genderqueer/nonbinary (neither solely male or female) individual (I'm also a feminine guy who defies all binaries. Both neurologically and whatever.). I strongly prefer to not use the terms cis and/or transgender as it still implies a ridgid binary. It's also for personal reasons. I totally respect how others wish to see themselves and whatnot. I just think it's extremely important to be visible where ever one goes so as to promote open-mindedness and to help educate others who wish or need to know that we exist. Also note that this program is a bit binary (just male and female) in its representation. Not everyone is cis (not transgender and/or nonbinary/genderqueer, and/or whatever). I was born as myself just like you were and I deserve respect. I just so happened to be labeled the wrong gender. Completely. My goal is to change that for the better. The program itself is really wonderful, but it is very expensive and not attractive to low income families who really need it. It just comes off as classist and elitist. I feel like there should be something in place to change that so that anyone (or at least most people) could afford it. Homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community is very, very real. I would literally be in trouble if my family could not afford this. I am very, very, very lucky. There also is not very much cultural diversity here. I'm white, and I totally acknowledge that, and so should they. The problem with the neurodivergent communities is that they have a tendency to erase other cultures and to erase the existence of LGBTQ+ issues. It's suffocating. But I won't let it do that to me. And if you are genderqueer/nonbinary/transgender and/or whatever, just know that you are strong and that we will prevail. We will change these kinds of programs from the ground up whether people like it or not, because we know that change needs to happen for people to be safe in mind and in body. The staff also doesn't know how to deal with LGBTQ+ issues very well. I'm queer all around, and I oftentimes feel very out of place here. Which is sad because this program is very unique and definitely but it has the potential to grow into something better. Also a word of warning, I feel that a lot of neurodivergent people use their learning difference as an excuse to misgender me (or possibly others). I talked with the person who helped make the trans march and the term nonbinary a reality, and they said it was not ok. I was even told by one of their students that I was using the wrong restroom. Also definitely not ok. I'm noticing a gross trend here. So if you are nonbinary/genderqueer and/or transgender just be extremely wary and prepare for nonsense from either ignorant staff members, students, or both. I have been misgendered multiple times here when the staff clearly knew. One of them even denied misgendering me several times. It triggered a full blow panic/stage three anxiety attack. It was a literal nightmare. I actually had to take a three week break from the program (health reasons regarding hormones). I also had pretty severe gender dysphoria my entire life after being misgendered nearly everyday (before I knew I was genderqueer/nonbinary). So, yeah, that threw me into a literal crisis. I'm ok now though. It's just a word of warning that most of the staff isn't trained at all when it comes to LGBTQ+ related issues. Fortunately I'm pretty tough (or so I have been told), and I have bounced back. One of their staff members is pretty well versed in LGBTQ+ issues. It's even better since she's a therapist. My dream/goal is for more than half of the staff to be LGBTQ+ and to fully emerse the students in LGBTQ+, different kinds of neurodiversity, and to educate them on different cultures from around the globe and to embrace the environment. This program is fantastic, but I want to make it even better. Also friendly reminder that not everyone is binary (male and/or female). We deserve to be seen because we want to help make this Earth a more accepting place."