National Leadership Program, Fall 2019
Gloria Medina
Gloria Medina was a Public Policy and Employment Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall of 2019. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
Medina is a graduate of Montgomery College in Maryland with an associate degree in international politics. Currently, she is a senior at the University of Maryland (UMD) working toward her Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Politics.
Born in Peru, Medina moved to Virginia at the age of seven and completed her primary education there before attending UMD. What inspires her to help the disability community is her own experience as a Latin immigrant and a transgender woman. She wants to help all communities living in the margins of society, as she understands what it feels like to not get the same opportunities as others and to have stigma attached to a part of one’s identity. She hopes that with the help of RespectAbility, she will not only help provide more opportunities for the disability community but also learn how to be more inclusive of the disability community in her advocacy for immigrant rights and transgender rights. Intersectionality is a big part of RespectAbility, so she hopes to take this element of RespectAbility to any organization she works for in the future.
This is Medina’s first internship with a nonprofit organization and hopes that after graduation she can continue working with organizations that help people advance in society. Medina hopes to work with immigrants and asylum seekers in America but also to contribute to other organizations that fight to further the rights for the transgender community both nationally and globally.
Medina loves to spend time with friends and family and go to art museums. This year she went to many art museums all over Europe with her mom. Her favorite art museum is the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands because of its vast collection of portraits and religious paintings from the middle ages. Close by she enjoys the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., which holds her favorite painting, Death of Ruben Salazar by Frank Romero. Medina hopes to return to Europe again someday and travel across the rest of the world.
Medina wrote several pieces during the 2019 Fall Fellowship. Check them out on our website:
- Employment for People with Disabilities Matters to North Carolina’s Gov. Cooper
(October 11, 2019) - Oklahoma’s Gov. Stitt is Committed to Continuing Employment Growth for People with Disabilities
(October 12, 2019) - Florida Gov. DeSantis commits to furthering opportunities for Florida’s Disabled Workforce
(October 16, 2019) - Virginia’s Gov. Northam shares plans to further employment for people with disabilities
(October 17, 2019) - “Wisconsin’s Focus is on the value of hiring job seekers with disabilities,” swears Gov. Evers in New Proclamation (October 18, 2019)
- Texas’ Gov. Abbott: “As a Texan with a disability myself … join me in commemorating the many achievements of Texans with disabilities” (October 19, 2019)
- Rep. Steve Bartlett Brings His Passion For Disability Inclusion to RespectAbility Fellows
(October 24, 2019)
Join Our Team
RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Learn more about the National Leadership Program and apply for the next cohort! Contact BenS@RespectAbility.org for more information.
