We recently connected with Nina Gulbransen and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nina, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

This past summer I interned for Mayor’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities at the City of Boston in conjunction with Boston’s Parks and Recreation Department, in addition to working as a fellow for Her Bold Move, a non-profit that supports women and minorities running to break political glass ceilings across the country. In both of these positions I was able to serve communities that have been historically underserved – the disabled community and women in politics. Both of these communities have not been adequately represented or listened to for the better part of history, and being able to represent them in my work was not only an enriching experience for my career but a privilege as well. At the Disability Commission my role involved creating an online resource for the disabled community of Boston to utilize, with the aim of spreading awareness on which parks and resources within Boston provide accessibility resources. I was able to incorporate both the interests of the disabled community and the interests of Bostonians as a constituency, and working on projects like these matters because the disabled community has not been considered in the majority of public works in major cities across the country – Boston is determined to leave such inequality in the past by promoting the work that I was able to contribute to. At Her Bold Move I worked with a talented group of young women to raise awareness for female and minority led political campaigns across the country, and we learned as a community how important it is to be aware of the inequality seen across political ambition between men and women. This matters to us all because we live in a country that aims to be democratic, but in reality only represents the historically privileged. Her Bold Move helps get more women on the ballot, which in turn helps get more people better representation in the political sphere. My areas of work this summer both focused on serving the underserved, and I hope to be able to continue that work in my career moving forward.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am currently a rising junior at Boston University, studying Political Science with the goal of contributing to campaigns and initiatives that promote women’s rights, social and economic equality, and constituent service post-graduation. As I have gained valuable experience in both the non-profit, campaign, and government areas of politics, I have found an interest and a passion for eventually running for office in my home state of Florida post-graduation. At Boston University I serve as the Secretary on the e-board of BU College Democrats after having been a member of Dems for my freshman and sophomore years. In addition to my political activism on campus, I am a varsity Division 1 student athlete on the Women’s Tennis Team at BU. I got into politics at the age of fourteen during the 2016 presidential elections, having volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the summer of 2016, and I have been politically active since. What sets me apart from others is my dedication to serving the underrepresented, my passion for justice and equality, and my desire to learn more from those who have walked different paths. I am most proud of accomplishing what I have in terms of the roles and experience I have acquired solely through my own qualifications while balancing the rigors of college athletics. I aim to promote equity for all, even if I am not a part of the communities I am advocating for. I believe strongly in the need for progressive social change in an era of rapid political and economic development.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A time that I had to pivot in career was when I became injured for several months on and off in my teenage years. For the majority of childhood my career goal and aspiration was to become a professional tennis player, a goal that I dedicated six days a week to since I was seven years old. My adolescence was characterized by training at top facilities in the United States and competing internationally and nationally at the biggest junior tournament in tennis. Around the age of fifteen I began getting injured consistently and had to face the reality that I would likely be unable to turn pro due to losing around two years of development at a critical stage. I had never even considered another career path or life goal beyond tennis, and had feared higher education because it meant no longer pursuing tennis as I always had. However, during the 2016 election I had found that the issues being raised stirred something within me, and I began researching politics as a potential career path. I have always been socially involved, and found a natural fit in the world of representation and activism. With this interest in mind, I began my college recruitment process. After a few years of much stress and back and forth with a variety of institutions, I found that Boston University was the best fit for me despite the fact that I had never even been to Massachusetts before. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that was presented to me, and that gratitude is what pushes me to always do more for others in the aim of making the biggest impact possible on the world around me. Since then politics is what gets me up in the morning and despite the uncertainty of the field now, I believe in facing challenges head on rather than searching for an easier path.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think that my being able to change directions so drastically so early on in life is a great example of my resilience. Despite having no familial or historical connection to the world of politics, I have been able to utilize my own character and work ethic to obtain sought after internships and positions even though I never envisioned this career to be my future when I was growing up. It does take a great deal of commitment and resilience to work as hard as I do, be it in university, in athletics, or in my professional work. This isn’t an example of just one story, simply because I believe that resilience is something to exemplify every day, rather than just once.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ninamgd8 & @kira.maria.photography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-gulbransen-b911b9148/