Janelle Acevedo
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
Certificates in Public Policy and Women & Gender Studies
About me
Heritage: Nicaraguan
University: Florida International University
Major: Anthropology with certificates in Public Policy and Women & Gender Studies
Graduation Year: Spring 2021
Janelle Acevedo (She/Her/Ella) was born and raised in Miami, Florida. Her family fled Nicaragua as refugees during "La Guerra de Chamorro.” As a proud child of immigrants, she is involved on her college campus and the South Florida community through leadership roles, such as the Director of the Panther Community Action Board, the Global Medallion Program and a Program Assistant at the FIU Women's Center. In this role, she works diligently to create social impact minimizing the disparities of minority populations. She is currently a Virtual Student Federal Service Intern where she is researching the buying power of minority women and how they are impacted by emergency flooding disasters. Janelle is looking forward to developing her skills and knowledge of public service and gaining first-hand experience in the legislative process in order to draft policy and efficiently serve constituents' needs. Her policy areas of interest are focused on women, racial and ethnic disparities, immigration, and education reform. Janelle aspires to run for elected-office to Congress and start her own Human Trafficking Rehabilitation Center.
Global learning courses
ANT 3212
World Ethnographies: Introduces students to ethnography, which is the art of writing culture. Teaches students to compare and contrast cultures through ethnographic reading, writing, and critiques.
WST 3015
Introduction to Women & Gender Studies: Introduction to gender issues, in their intersection with issues of race, class, and ethnicity in global perspective. The focus will be on the diverse experiences of gender across the globe.
PAD 3034
Policy Development & Implementation: Examines the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of governmental efforts at federal, state, and local levels.
CCJ 4694
Human Trafficking: Examines issues related to human trafficking and immigration from an international and global perspective.
SYP 3456
Societies of the World: Investigates societies in comparative, historical, & global perspective. Possible topics: social class, gender, race-ethnicity, culture, politics, economy, globalization, migration, & environment.
Panther Community Action board
Through this leadership experience I have been able to lead a strong team of individuals who have facilitated service projects in a virtual and in-person format. As a team, we have been able to take social issues such as human trafficking, food insecurity, cancer awareness, and houselessness. Furthermore, our team has reviewed many mini-grant applications and served as accountability partners for approved grants of up to $500.
alternative breaks
Women's center internship
CHLI Global leaders fellowship
Despite it being virtual, I learned so much about how a bill becomes a law and the inner workings of a congressional office. Throughout my time in the office of Darren Soto (FL-09), I was able to attend public and private hearings and briefings. I learned how to take this information and compress it into one page memos for staff who need it. I was also able to draft legislative correspondence in response to a myriad of different topics such as ICE Detention centers, former Attorney General Bill Barr, and H.R.1 - For the People Act. During my time there, I was integrated into the legislative team where I was able to track the Congressmen's legislation and develop weekly reports for the office legislative team. These previous tasks prepared me to work with my legislative mentor to develop amendments for the 2021 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA). I was able to aid in adding two crucial amendments to the bill before they are considered on the U.S. House of Representatives floor.
Through my corporate placement with Accenture, I will be creating a legislative tracker for the Government Relations team and developing my understanding of public-private partnerships, especially with their diversity and inclusion efforts. In addition to tracking legislation, I have worked to create profiles for State governors to assist the Government relations team in advancing the mission of Accenture nationwide. I am actively utilizing my sharp program management skills to assist in the preparation and execution of the Greater Washington Apprenticeship Network which will create additional job opportunities through apprenticeships to create a greater positive economic impact of the region.
CAmpus life: Women in politics & policy D.c. fly-in
United Nations IMPAct network: Millennium Fellowship
Millennium Fellowship Project:
The Period Project
My project revolves around breaking the taboos of menstruation and providing necessary products for women in college. These products are taxed as luxuries and can be difficult to afford for college students. The project also gives period advice and tips that many girls may not know because it may have been a taboo topic in their homes. The objective of this project is to spread awareness and provide resources for women on campus.About the Millennium Fellow. The fellowship focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, which focuses on good health and well-being.
To ensure my project was successful, I gathered donations from others in my community and developed a partnership with the FIU Women's Center to be able to reach the students that they serve. During the national Love Your Body, I focused on menstrual health. I was able to distribute 150+ menstrual health kits during our event and donated any extra materials to the FIU Women's center. Additionally, I was able to create an informational that had information about period health for menstruators. Many of these health facts were not taught to me in public school and it was important to share this information with others who aren't educated on this topic.
