Share information about internships and volunteer opportunities with the International Studies Program. Opportunities in foreign countries are of particular interest to rising International Studies seniors who complete an overseas practicum the summer before their senior year. Information about positions in the U.S. is helpful to younger majors. Please post the information on the International Studies LinkedIn Group (instructions on joining) and notify the Program Office, which will include the information in our weekly newsletter to majors.
Please consider contributing to the International Studies Program to help establish a scholarship fund for practicums that are unpaid.
The practicums are critical to helping International Studies majors embark on their career paths, as the spotlights below demonstrate.
Practicum Spotlight
Mariam Gardezi, Well Told Story
Nairobi, Kenya
Position Description: I worked on Well Told Story’s project to educate girls about sexual and reproductive health. I helped develop comics that provide health information, wrote answers to readers’ health-related questions, and attended staff trainings and the organization’s youth events.
Importance to major and career: I learned how important it is to discuss in a nuanced manner challenging health topics, particularly sexual and reproductive health. This will be a useful skill for my future work as a medical doctor in the U.S. and overseas.
Best Part of the Experience: The best part of my month-long experience was attending a three-hour long gathering of teenage girls at Kibera, Kenya’s largest housing district for the extremely impoverished. The event emphasized the girls’ importance, worth, and potential and showed them how to access sexual and reproductive health services through an app on their phones.
Eliana Ondrejko, Argeta
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Position Description: I spent three weeks in the marketing and sales departments of Argeta, which produces pâté. I created a market research report, interviewed employees, and conducted store checks.
Importance to major and career: This internship solidified my interest in marketing and prepared me for future work in international business.
Best Part of the Experience: The best part of the experience was the practical exposure to marketing on a domestic and international scale.
Liana Kabins, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Position Description: I worked as a caseworker for the registration unit. On a daily basis, I conducted initial interviews for asylum seekers who came to the office.
Importance to major and career: Having the opportunity to intern with the United Nations was incredibly important since I aspire to work for the organization in the future.
Best part of the experience: I learned about the different backgrounds of refugees from all over the world and heard their stories.