It's been real--real awesome!

Astonish Fann, they/she, was RISE’s 2022 summer intern and came to us all the way from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Astonish is one of a kind and delightful all around, and they made a fantastic addition to our team! Among other things, Astonish created social media posts, facilitated sex ed, researched products, looked up literature, and wrote, edited, and proofread all kinds of things this summer. They also tried all kinds of new foods and new activities.

Hello, my name is Astonish. To say that this experience was amazing is an understatement; I truly had one of the best times of my life while here in TN. I learned important sex education curriculum to share when I get home, and I also think I made life-long family members here. So thank you so much to everyone; you are all Stellar!

Thank you to Cindi for giving me this opportunity (and all the Starbucks); I believe it has truly guided me along the right path in my career! In addition, thank you for making me feel like a part of the family like during the 4th of July, playing game night, and going to the mountain, etc. Also thank you Jana and Linore for being amazing friends; I will miss you guys! Let’s keep in touch!

Jessie, Cindi, Donni, Gladys, and Astonish

Thank you to Jessie for being my taxi (I’m kidding!). You also gave me this amazing opportunity and I am very grateful! You also included me as a part of your family; I loved hanging out with Millie! Both you and Cindi are truly inspiring and I hope I can be at least as half as awesome as you both! [Note from Cindi—they already are!!!]

Thank you to Gladys and Donni for letting me work with you on YAS! I think this program is great and I can’t wait for it to launch!

Rosemary and Bryan, Astonish’s host family.

Thank you to Rosemary and Bryan! You guys are beautiful people and I am so honored to have been your child over the summer! Thank you for all the opportunities for fun (especially DND!!), and most importantly, thank you for showing me the magic of Harry Potter. I will of course miss the animals, so I want updates!

Thank you to Kirk and Lynn for allowing me into your home for games, and also letting me monopolize Gilbert. You guys are both awesome, hilarious people and I (and Vicenti Chickenpox) will definitely miss playing DND with Barbee and Mister!

Thank you to Jess and Mickey for taking me in; even though it was a short time I really appreciated it and had a great time! I LOVE your house and all the plants in it. Jess, you inspired me to become a plant parent. Fingers crossed it goes well!

While sitting here writing this I am with Jessie and Cindi preparing for a consent presentation (wish us luck!), and I realize how much I am going to miss this. I feel the work I have done here (facilitating, posting, planning, etc) has guided me to spread this knowledge and make change in my own area!

We’ll miss you, too, Astonish. Thanks for the TikTok lessons, all your hard work and creativity, and your adventurous spirit! It was fun!