KID is excited to welcome our new summer 2020 team of interns. KID’s interns will work on a wide variety of projects and issues, such as furniture tip-over research, social media and blog writing, outreach and education, and advocacy. Learn more about our summer 2020 team below. We’re thrilled to have them on board.

Brinson Elliott

My name is Brinson Elliott, and I am an incoming fourth-year Political Science and Philosophy student at Queen’s University. Despite completing my undergraduate education in Eastern Canada, I am a dual citizen who resides in Northern California. I am supporting KID as a research and public policy intern. As an aspiring criminal or public interest lawyer with interest in youth development, I am motivated to further KID’s efforts in educating parents and caregivers and advocating to improve children’s product safety. In the last month, I have emailed policymakers regarding furniture tip-over legislation, conducted research on e-Commerce and the effectiveness of the Consumer Product Safety Commission at risk-assessing imports, and am writing a blog on children’s products recalled for violating federal lead guidelines. I feel honored to assist KID in its fight to strengthen consumer protection laws and hold manufacturers accountable.

Alyssa Reese

My name is Alyssa Reese, and I am an incoming medical student at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Buffalo, NY. I recently graduated from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences Interdisciplinary with a concentration in Legal Studies. I am fascinated by the connection between advocacy, law, public health, research, and medicine and aspire to be a pediatrician in the future. I look forward to using my interests as momentum in my position as an intern at KID. I am thankful for this virtual opportunity to develop my research skills while learning how to connect and communicate with pediatricians and public health officials throughout the country. It is a pleasure to be able to further the mission statement of KID and advocate for child safety while gaining skills that will help me in my future career as a physician.

Riley Mortara

My name is Riley Mortara, and I am a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am double majoring in Communication Science as well as Human Development and Family Studies. I have always been interested in working with non-profits, and with my interest in children and families, KID was the perfect fit. Through helping with communications, I am excited to contribute to the process of making sure children are safe and out of danger with the products that surround them. Children cannot advocate for themselves, which is why KID’s work is so important. There is so much good that comes out of an organization like KID, and I feel lucky to be part of that.

Emily Cohn

My name is Emily Cohn, and I am a rising senior at Loyola University of Chicago. I have spent my time in undergrad studying Political Science and Sociolegal Studies and plan to go to law school after I graduate. I have a special interest in working with minority and marginalized communities which I hope to apply while working at KID. I was eager to begin working with KID because of my interest in such communities as well as public policy and research. I hope to use my degree to do public policy work and use my education and opportunities at KID to continue advocating and working with marginalized communities. I could not be more excited to intern at KID and be a part of an organization and community doing such vital and meaningful work!

Taylor Radack

My name is Taylor Radack. I am a student at Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Currently, I am tracking with a focus on science and math. I am so excited to be helping KID with expanding its outreach this summer. KID’s mission is even more critical and relevant today, especially with more kids staying home due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I believe it is important to continue to grow their mission, and I am grateful to contribute to this organization.

Tony Taitano

My name is Tony Taitano, and I am a rising senior majoring in Psychology at Amherst College. I have completed most of the premed requirements the past two and a half years, but this previous semester I decided that I wanted to switch into healthcare business or finance and ultimately attend business school within the next few years. I have participated in two internships – one in the medical field and one conducting wet laboratory research at a public health agency – the previous two summers, but this summer I was interested in KID because I knew that it would provide me an opportunity to conduct public health research outside of a lab and in a more non-profit realm. I loved KID’s mission and appreciate it even more now after only about two weeks as an intern, and I am very excited to see what this summer has in store for me. Specifically, I am intrigued by the vast amount of research abilities and product-specific knowledge that I will gain throughout this internship and hope to become more knowledgeable about product safety during the process.

Maria Mendoza

My name is Maria Mendoza, and I am majoring in Human Resource Development at Northeastern Illinois University. This summer, I am excited to work for KID and apply my human resources development knowledge to help develop and improve KID materials provided to current and future interns. I am thankful to be able to work for a non-profit organization that advocates for children’s safety.

Erin Tan

My name is Erin Tan, and I am a rising high school senior from New Jersey. With college right around the corner for me, I’m still working to figure out what I want to major in and the fields I want to pursue when I’m older. I am highly interested in many aspects of law and advocacy, as well as healthcare and research. I am so excited to be interning at KID this summer because their mission allows me to experience an overlap between these two vastly different concentrations. The fact that I get to make a positive difference by contributing to KID’s mission for product safety is the cherry on top.

Malak Arafa

My name is Malak Arafa and I’m a rising fourth year Political Science major at the University of Chicago. I am also minoring in Education and Society and History. I know that I want to work with under-served children and their families in some capacity in the future and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to do that this summer with KID. I’m interested in KID’s dedication to research-based policy reform and advocacy and the team’s dedication to reach out to families in marginalized communities. I’m excited to learn from and contribute to the meaningful advocacy and research that KID does to protect children and families.