Hi, everyone!
My name is E (fun fact, this is not short for anything, my full legal first name is literally just the letter E). I use they/them pronouns and I currently live in Philadelphia, PA while working toward a PhD in Childhood Studies from Rutgers University. Before moving to Philly, I was living in Washington, DC for almost ten years. I moved to DC for college and completed a BA from the George Washington University (GWU or GW). At GW, I double-majored in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and Political Science, and both my freshman seminar paper and senior thesis paper were focused on girlhoods–on girls and Barbie dolls and transgender girlhoods, respectively. I then worked as a Program and Research Assistant for three years at the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), a national nonprofit engaged in child welfare reform efforts. A focus on children and childhoods has been at the center of my education and work experiences, and whenever possible, I like to study or work on issues that specifically impact girls and girlhoods–especially transgender girl(hood)s–in the US context.
Because my interest is mainly a philosophical one, I rarely get opportunities to work with children directly. That is why, in the summers, I volunteer as a camp counselor and program leader for Camp Brave Trails, and LGBTQ+ youth leadership summer camp. Being a camp counselor at an LGBTQ+ youth summer camp brings me closer to youth culture and facilitates meaningful interactions and relationships with queer and trans youth. I learn so much from the campers every summer, especially from queer and trans girls who share stories of their lives and experiences outside of the camp bubble. Volunteering as a counselor at a sleepaway camp can be exhausting and challenging, but as a queer and trans adult, it is the most impactful and rewarding work I do all year. If I could, I would love to make being a camp counselor my full-time job.
When I am not studying or bopping around with campers in the summers, I am binge watching tv, reading, coloring or collaging, going for walks, dancing, spending time with close friends and family, or playing with my cat, Pongo. Speaking of dancing, I have almost twenty years of dance training and experience! My love of dance has made me a longtime admirer of French artist Edgar Degas, so my favorite museum is the Met in NYC, where many of his pieces inspired by ballerinas are on display.
-E Feinman
Volunteer
GIrl Museum Inc.