Our Team is Growing!  

The RHAP team keeps on growing! Meet our new Program Coordinator and Development Intern, Brandy and Piper!

Brandy Bautista, Program Coordinator 

Brandy (she/her) joined us at the end of May as our Program Coordinator. Brandy graduated from California State University with a BA in Women and Gender Studies and has been working as an Administrative Medical Assistant at Planned Parenthood for nearly three years. As Program Coordinator, she’ll be providing programmatic and logistical support to our Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellowship and supporting us in ensuring our patient education, clinical tools, and resources are patient-centered and reflect the latest clinical evidence.    

What sparked your passion for reproductive health care and justice? 

When I graduated college with a degree in Women and Gender Studies, I was a little lost as to what to do next. I had applied to work at my local Planned Parenthood, and I was hired. I was excited to work at Planned Parenthood since I had always been a big supporter of reproductive health. It wasn’t until I had started working there that my passion for reproductive health and justice changed and grew. We were often the only place patients could turn to for care. I got to see firsthand the true need for empathetic, quality care, and it helped to open my eyes.  My time there shaped the way I see healthcare and sparked my interest in learning more ways we could work to increase access to reproductive health. 

In your new position at RHAP as Program Coordinator, what are you most excited about? 

I love to learn new things and I am excited to learn more about the field of reproductive health and justice. As a new member, I am also interested to see what I could bring to the team. The Planned Parenthood clinic I worked at had a strong primary care and early pregnancy loss program, and I am excited to see how my experiences there can be used to helped RHAP make reproductive healthcare more accessible. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?  

In my spare time, I love to watch movies, play video games, and spend time with my family and friends. Mostly though, I spend a lot of time with my senior cat, who is very good at loudly calling for me whenever I am at home and not in his sight. 

What are you currently reading/watching/listening to?  

I have recently started reading Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine. I have also been watching the new Marvel shows on Disney+. As for music, I have been listening to a lot of Hozier, Bruno Mars, and Sleeping at Last lately. 

Piper Bonacquist, Development Intern 

Piper (she/they) joined us this April as our new Development Intern. Piper is a first-year graduate student at the University of Oregon studying nonprofit management with a particular interest in fundraising. Before grad-school, they were the co-founder and co-director of Colorado Doula Project. Piper is supporting our Manager of Individual Giving in planning and managing fundraising campaigns and developing and sustaining stakeholder relationships.  

What sparked your passion for reproductive health care and justice? 

 I can’t pinpoint a particular experience that sparked my passion for reproductive health care and justice. It’s something that I always remember being passionate about. But my first job out of college as a hotline counselor for the National Abortion Federation in 2011 really opened my eyes to the reality of the state of abortion access in the United States and made me realize how much work needs to be done. 

In your new position at RHAP as Development Intern, what are you most excited about?  

I’m excited to practice the fundraising strategies I learned in school in “real life.” To have the opportunity to put them to work in service of something I deeply believe in is extra special. 

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

As a graduate student, I don’t have much spare time, but I try to get out for walks along the river behind my apartment, cook dinner with my partner, and have video calls with my friends. 

 What are you currently reading/watching/listening to?   

I am currently reading Kingsbane, which is the second book in the Empirium trilogy by Claire Legrand. I am waiting with bated breath for the final book in the Locked Tomb trilogy by Tamsyn Muir, which I yell about to anyone who will listen. (Seriously, go read it!)