Meet Cotie: Our New Development Manager!
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Cotie San (she/they) and I am a proud queer Southern Khmerican (Cambodian American) from Chattanooga, TN. I am passionate about liberation for all people, and am always brought back to Fannie Lou Hamer’s iconic line “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” I recently graduated from the Gillings School of Global Public Health with a Masters in Public Health focusing on health equity, social justice, and human rights. I decided to pursue this degree after living and working in New Orleans, LA for two years following college at Sewanee: The University of the South. I moved to the Triangle area in August 2020 and have since fallen in love with the area. I originally moved to Raleigh, then spent two years in Chapel Hill, and now I’m in Durham so I have completed the triangle. :) For the astrology girlies, I am a Leo sun, Capricorn moon, and Aquarius rising.
What made you decide to join the LGBT Center of Raleigh team?
Since my time in New Orleans, I’ve realized that my skills and passions align with not only local grassroots organizations but with fundraising and development. While I am an anti-capitalist, I enjoy telling the stories of small organizations that have large impacts in their communities and connecting them to donors small and large who want to make a positive difference with their funds.
Further, while I have been “out” for over five years now to most of my friends and family, I did not grow up believing it was “ok,” “normal,” or “acceptable” to be a part of the queer or trans community. I come from a religious Christian background, and nobody in my family was openly gay. I did not come to terms with my sexuality until college, and did not publicly come out until after I graduated. Therefore, I have felt a disconnect with the LGBTQ community and have been looking to connect more with this part of my identity. I had been following the LGBT Center of Raleigh for a few years, and I actually met one of my best friends through STI testing with the Center and the Alliance. So when I saw the opening for a Development Manager position, it seemed like the perfect fit for me and I grew very excited about the prospect of working with the team that I had heard such great things about!
What are some things you're looking forward to in this role?
I’m really looking forward to growing my skills in online and peer-to-peer fundraising, and connecting more with the local queer and trans community. While I moved to Raleigh in August 2020, I did not get to experience much of the local culture since it was the early days of the pandemic, businesses were still in the process of re-opening, and I was not yet vaccinated and still pretty fearful to be in public and exposed to COVID. Therefore, I still have a ways to learn about the local community and am always trying to expand my networks and meet new people! I also see so much room for growth at the Center now that the team is growing, and I want to help build capacity through my grant writing and secure funds for a few projects that have been desperately needed for our LGBTQ community for some time now.
What is your go to Raleigh staple?
Man, this is tough. I have a few favorite spots… I love Boxcar because of the games and location, I tried my first Peking duck at Brewery Bhavana, Raleigh Beer Garden always has my heart because of the plethora of incredible beers on tap, and Bowstring has my favorite pizza. But I have admittedly not eaten at enough restaurants in the area and always accept suggestions! (Please don’t drag me in the comments for the common spots, 2/4 years here in NC I was a broke graduate student in Chapel Hill! :)
What are activities or hobbies you like to do outside of work?
In my free time, I enjoy hiking with my dog, exploring new (to me) parks, trying new restaurants (Durham, Raleigh, and the greater triangle area have such a good variety of food!), tending to my 30+ houseplants, playing board games, binging the newest Netflix trending show, attending local organizing events, and finding thrifted or locally made jewelry at pop up flea markets. I am also a tattoo fiend (I’ve lost track of how many I have) and occasionally do stick and poke tattoos for the homies. I also enjoy experimenting with my look, so don’t be surprised if you meet me one week and I look completely different the next!