Meet Emma!

We’re excited to introduce our Communications Intern, Emma Piller. Emma is supporting the framework, strategy and implementation plan for communications at Chinook Fund.

Q: Where do you go to school and what are you majoring in?

A: I go to CU Boulder, and I’m majoring in English Literature with a minor in Spanish.

Q: What are you hoping to gain by working at the Chinook Fund?

A: I’m hoping to learn more about the behind the scenes action Chinook is apart of. I’ve worked in a lot of grassroots organizing growing up, but haven’t been exposed to the grant-writing/funding aspect. I’m already seeing how Chinook has found its own identity in the community, through challenging oppressive systems.. As much as I’m looking to improve my writing skills outside my academia, I’m excited to learn more about how Chinook engages and maintains sustainable and healthy partnerships.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not interning at Chinook Fund?

A: I love to move. My favorite part about living in Boulder is that I can walk to my favorite hiking trail. My new hobby is learning to salsa, and I cannot stop smiling for the two hours a week I get to dance.

Q: If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

A: I would definitely choose to have dinner with Maya Angelou. My parents gave me my middle name in her honor (Emma Maya). She has a very beautiful radical softness and I think I’d just melt in her presence. As much as I’d love to hear her step-by-step instructions on how to change the world, I’d imagine us having a lovely conversation about our personal experiences and just get to know each other.

Q: What was the last book you read?

A: The last book I read was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I highly recommend it.

Q: What do you like most about Colorado?

A: I’m very proud to say I was born in Colorado. I never get tired of looking at the gorgeous flatirons or exploring Denver. My favorite part about Colorado is probably the weather. A lot of people complain how unpredictable it is, but I love it! I’m glad we have mostly sunny days, but it can be 70 degrees one day and then snow the next.