(Pictured above from left to right: Maria Vazquez,Tessa Uvideo, Emily Haase)
Hi! My name is Tessa Uviedo, and this summer, I am interning for Chromosome 18 as a Development Assistant through SA Worx. I recently graduated from Keystone School and am attending MIT in the fall. At MIT, I plan on completing a joint major in Computer Science & Molecular Biology and minoring in Public Policy.
While my internship is only six weeks long, I have had the opportunity to immerse myself in the Chromosome 18 organization and mission. My day-to-day as an intern has been working remotely, helping to secure silent auction donations for the upcoming 18th Annual Golf Tournament and creating spreadsheets for various events and campaigns. But in early July, I had the privilege of being able to work in person at the Annual Decoded Family Conference. Here, I truly understood the importance of the work C18 does. I could feel the joy and positive energy in the check-in room as families reunited in person after a few-year hiatus.
My two favorite memories from the summer both took place at Conference. The first was self-advocate karaoke. It was delightful to watch self-advocates go up and sing their favorite songs from Taylor Swift to ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ as their friends cheered them on. Many of them also made me feel welcome by coming over to chat with me. The second was the culminating event of the conference, the Starfish Dinner and Dance. As soon as the first notes of ‘We are Family’ began pouring out of the speakers, self-advocates, parents, siblings, and community members began taking to the dance floor. The dancing never ceased, but my favorite dance of the night was when a giant conga line formed around the ballroom. If the conga line came near you, it was like a magnet pulling you into it because of the joy radiating from the line. Overall, the conference put into perspective for me the importance of Chromosome 18 to families across the world, and it was a pleasure to meet so many of them.
Although my time with Chromosome 18 this summer will soon come to an end, this experience is something I will keep with me forever. It has taught me the importance of advocacy and inclusion while also allowing me to gain meaningful work experience. I hope to stay involved with this organization in the future because, in my short time here, I felt like I became part of the Chromosome 18 family.