This month 9to5 Wisconsin and our partners at the Wisconsin Care Coalition officially launched our Paid Leave for Wisconsin Campaign. The focus is to ensure workforce and family-supporting solutions are a priority for our community and decision-makers. This important work could not be accomplished without the dedicated support of our interns. We just wanted to take a moment to introduce them and share a little bit about their background.

Lena Thao is currently pursuing her Social Work degree and minoring in Social Justice at UW-Oshkosh. In her spare time, she enjoys playing volleyball, spending time with her loved ones, journaling, and discovering new creative interests. 

Lena is passionate about supporting domestic violence victims and survivors, and will be hosting a healing workshop with Harbor House in Appleton on Friday, September 29. Lena is excited about this new learning experience with 9to5 and working with us to empower women. 

Mary Lou Yang has been working in healthcare for over 14 years. As a nurse, Mary always advocates for her patient’s well-being. She has witnessed firsthand how important it is to change and improve policies, in order for her patients’ to lead better lives. Mary is also a parent advocate fighting for representation, equity, and transparency in the Green Bay School System. She will be hosting an Anti-Asian Bullying Campaign with local community leaders and organizations on Saturday, October 7 to bring more awareness and accountability with the recent bullying stories and harassment that has surfaced in the Green Bay Area AAPI community.

Through her internship with 9 to 5, Mary is excited to gain experience in community organizing, effective communication skills, social engagement, as well as becoming familiar with the bill and legislative processes.