Meet the AHA Summer Interns, Part II

We’re pleased to welcome six individuals to the American Humanist Association’s Summer 2015 Internship Program! They are working hard and contributing to our efforts by writing for TheHumanist.com, assisting on the production of the Humanist magazine, lobbying on Capitol Hill, promoting humanism in the media, and supporting AHA’s many programs and projects. Yesterday we introduced three of the interns, and here we invite you to meet the other three!


JULIUS HALSTEAD, Field Intern

halsteadTheHumanist.com: What is your educational background?

Julius Halstead: I am an undergraduate at Penn State University double majoring in political science and philosophy. I will graduate in May 2016.

TheHumanist.com: How did you first learn about humanism?

Halstead: Through one of my philosophy courses at Penn State.

TheHumanist.com: Did you grow up in a religious tradition? If so, which one and what was that like?

Halstead: Yes, I did. I grew up in the Christian faith. It gave me the groundwork for a lot of personal values I hold dear.

TheHumanist.com: What interested you most about interning for the American Humanist Association?

Halstead: Being able to learn about a different perspective on religion and the world. Variety is the spice of life.

TheHumanist.com: Do you have a favorite humanist/atheist?

Halstead: No, I do not.

TheHumanist.com: Have you read any good books lately? What’s your favorite book?

Halstead: Yes, The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X is my favorite book right now.

TheHumanist.com: If you could have dinner with any three people (living or dead), who would they be and why?

Halstead: I would want to have dinner with Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Tupac Shakur. They have all had positive impacts on my life through their words and their actions. Malcolm X turned his life around from a convict to a civil rights leader and dedicated the latter half of his life to equal rights which I admire. Muhammad Ali approached situations with no lack of confidence whatsoever. He knew he could do whatever he put his mind to and he made sure everybody around him knew he could do it, too. Tupac Shakur spoke to the world through music and made life in America’s ghettos as real and vivid as he could to those who knew nothing about it.

 

EMILIE POLLACK, CFE & Legislative Intern

pollackTheHumanist.com: What is your educational background?

Emilie Pollack: I have a BA in political science and a minor in sustainability from  George Washington University.

TheHumanist.com: How did you first learn about humanism?

Pollack: I first learned about humanism in my senior philosophy course in high school.

TheHumanist.com: Did you grow up in a religious tradition? If so, which one and what was that like?

Pollack: I grew up in a conservative Jewish household. I enjoyed growing up with the Jewish values but never questioned the existence of a god.

TheHumanist.com: What interested you most about interning for the American Humanist Association?

Pollack: What interested me the most about interning with AHA is the opportunity to learn more about humanist values in a political context.

TheHumanist.com: Do you have a favorite humanist/atheist?

Pollack: I wouldn’t call him my favorite, but I really like John Lennon.

TheHumanist.com: Have you read any good books lately? What’s your favorite book?

Pollack: My favorite book is Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

TheHumanist.com: If you could have dinner with any three people (living or dead), who would they be and why?

Pollack: I would have dinner with my three grandparents who I never got to meet. I have heard so much about them from my parents and I’d really like to be able to talk to them myself.

 

BRIAN FLANNIGAN, Legal Intern

flanniganTheHumanist.com: What is your educational background?

Brian Flannigan: I went to UCLA for undergraduate studies, where I majored in political science. I am currently a law student at George Washington University.

TheHumanist.com: How did you first learn about humanism?

Flannigan: I first heard about it from a friend, but I didn’t know a lot about it before seeing an internship posting on the career website at my school.

TheHumanist.com: Did you grow up in a religious tradition? If so, which one and what was that like?

Flannigan: I was raised Catholic. My mom’s side of the family goes to church regularly, and I was brought to church growing up, but it seemed like something we did more out of tradition than out of a deep belief in the text of the Bible.

TheHumanist.com: What interested you most about interning for the American Humanist Association?

Flannigan: I currently consider myself to be an atheist, I am gay, and I frequently hear about people who want our government to embrace Christianity over other religions or non-religion. I wanted to help make sure there is a separation of church and state so that no one group is prioritized over another.

TheHumanist.com: Do you have a favorite humanist/atheist?

Flannigan: I’m a big fan of Bill Nye and Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

TheHumanist.com: Have you read any good books lately? What’s your favorite book?

Flannigan: The last book I read, outside of law school reading, was Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly. It was really interesting to learn about Jesus the man outside of a religious context. I really like and recommend the comic book series Saga and the television series Sense8.

TheHumanist.com: If you could have dinner with any three people (living or dead), who would they be and why?

Flannigan: Martin Luther King Jr. and Harvey Milk are my first two choices because I’d like to see their reactions to the progress that has been made since they were assassinated and hear their assessments of the world as it currently is. My third choice would be the woman who ends up on the $10 bill—preferably Rosa Parks or Harriet Tubman—because I’d like to see their reaction when they find out that what they did had a lasting impact on this country.