Name: Nadia Camperlengo

Year: Fourth Year

Major: American Studies (concentration in Popular & Visual Culture)

Hometown: Charlottesville, VA

1.    What brought you to the Women's Center?

During the Fall of my third year, I took the class Gender Violence and Social Justice with Claire Kaplan, a Program Director at the Women’s Center. For our final projects, I had the opportunity to design a mosaic to be installed at the newly renovated Women’s Center called “Stronger at the Broken Pieces” dedicated to sexual assault survivors & allies. As a survivor myself, this activity was not only extremely therapeutic but made me realize how much of a safe, inclusive, and creative space the Women’s Center is. And ever since then, it’s been my home.

2.    What other organizations are you involved with at UVA?

I have just joined the Take Back the Night Vigil team, which I am very excited about! Other than that this semester, most of my involvement has been off-Grounds as I prepare for graduation (yikes!). In addition to working at the Free Legal Clinic, I am the Creative Director for an e-commerce company and also manage the nonprofit I co-founded a year ago dedicated to off track & retired Thoroughbred racehorses.

3.    If you could describe your intern team in 3 words, what would they be?

Three Dope Queens

4.    What is your favorite memory of UVA thus far?

When I walked into my From Motown to Hip-Hop class last Fall as my iconic professor Claudrena Harold was blasting Clipse’s “Grindin’” before she lecture started. Everyone was bopping and moving and grooving and grinning, especially during Pusha’s verse. It was great.

5.    What does leadership mean to you?

Not necessarily making - but striving for - real and tangible change. Not necessarily moving mountains - but finding your inner strength to - in the face of adversity. Leadership is rooted in an unwavering understanding of your identity and that of others, but not in a egotistical way. Leadership is a necessary tool to achieve equity. To sum it up to a simple phrase, leadership is...Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

6.    What is your guilty pleasure?

Why feel guilty about something that brings you pleasure? Even if it’s Carly Rae Jepsen post-”Call Me Maybe” or watching Law & Order SVU until Netflix is genuinely worried about you...Whatever it is, just get after it.