By: Elizabeth Cordero
Hi everyone! My name is Elizabeth Cordero, and I’m a third-year student at Florida State University pursuing a dual degree in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. I’m currently part of the Global Scholars program, which focuses on preparing students for global citizenship through research, coursework, and internships with organizations that create social impact.
Introduce yourself as a Global Scholar. What does that phrase mean to you?
To me, being a Global Scholar means taking what I’ve learned in the classroom and applying it to real-world issues, especially ones that go beyond just the U.S. It’s also an opportunity to build on the research skills I developed through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) while exploring a topic that connects to my future goals in law and policy.
How are you going to carry out the tenets of “global scholarship” this summer through your planned experience and Capstone project?
This summer, I’ll be combining my internship with RAINN’s Public Policy Team and my Capstone research on gender norms and sexual violence. Through my past advocacy experience, including lobbying at the Florida Capitol, I’ve become really interested in how policies and institutions shape outcomes for survivors. My internship with RAINN will give me a chance to see how that work actually happens in practice within the U.S.
At the same time, my Capstone takes a more global approach by looking at how hegemonic masculinity and gender norms influence both the prevalence of sexual violence and reporting rates across countries. I’ll be using datasets like the United Nations Gender Inequality Index and UNODC data to run a comparative analysis and look for patterns across different countries.
Overall, this experience allows me to connect what’s happening at the policy level in the U.S. to broader global trends.
Tell us about where you’re going, what you’ll be doing, and what you’re looking forward to/apprehensive about.
This summer, I’ll be working remotely with RAINN’s Public Policy Team. In this role, I’ll help with research on sexual assault policy, track legislation across all 50 states, and assist with drafting memoranda and other communications to government agencies and legislative offices. I’ll also support updating policy resources and databases.
I’m really looking forward to getting hands-on experience and seeing how policy decisions actually impact survivors. Since I’m interested in going into law and policy, this feels like a really meaningful step in that direction.
At the same time, I am a little nervous about working remotely since it requires a lot of self-discipline and initiative. I also know that working on issues related to sexual violence can be emotionally heavy at times. Still, I see both of these as opportunities to grow and push myself.
Tell us about your CBI…
My Community-Based Inquiry (CBI) focuses on sexual assault survivors, specifically looking at how hegemonic masculinity and gender norms influence both the prevalence of sexual violence and the likelihood that survivors report their experiences across countries. I chose this topic because of my interest in advocacy and policy, as well as a gap I noticed in the research—while a lot of studies focus on prevalence, fewer examine reporting behaviors.
To study this, I’m using a comparative, data-driven approach. I’ll be analyzing cross-national datasets that include measures of gender inequality and reported rates of sexual violence. By looking at country-level data, I hope to identify patterns not just in where violence occurs, but also where it goes unreported and why.
Ultimately, I hope this research can help highlight barriers survivors face and contribute to more informed, survivor-centered policies.
How will you engage in your host community?
Even though my internship is remote, I plan to stay actively engaged by contributing to the Public Policy Team through research, legislative tracking, and policy writing. I’ll also be learning through observation—paying attention to how policies are developed and how advocacy work is carried out behind the scenes.
I bring a strong commitment to empathy and survivor-centered advocacy, which has been shaped by my previous experience working with RAINN. At the same time, I want to learn as much as possible from the people I’ll be working with by asking questions, listening, and reflecting on what I observe.
Because this work involves sensitive topics, I also want to be mindful of confidentiality and approach everything with respect. Overall, I’m hoping to both contribute and grow from this experience.
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