2015 Global Studies Undergraduate Internship Grants

With funding from the Chancellor’s Global Education Fund, Global Studies was able to award small grants to three BA students to support summer internships.

Shiva Sethi

Thanks to a grant from the Curriculum in Global Studies, I spent ten weeks working in the Department of State’s Office of Civil Rights (S/OCR). This is an internal bureau of the State Department that primarily works to ensure the Department’s compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity laws and that the Department is promoting diversity and inclusion both internally and externally. My work included helping to write speeches, plan events and analyze data about the Department. I met with a number of ambassadors, visited the CIA and gained many valuable connections. The demographically and professionally diverse staff, and their extraordinary helpfulness and generosity with their time, afforded me unparalleled mentorship, exposure and guidance. There was also an emphasis on education, with weekly lunch talks and frequent forums and panel discussions featuring experts on current topics. I hope to use my experiences this summer to launch my career in international relations.

Cecelia Smetana

This summer I worked at American Friends of Royal Health Awareness Society (AFRHAS) in Washington, D.C. AFRHAS is a non-profit that works to support Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) in its programs to bring health awareness to schools in Jordan, and communities more broadly. While interning at the Embassy of Jordan last spring, my supervisor referred me to the organization. Most of my work was concentrated in completing research reports on like-minded organizations in the United States, as well as funding sources. Additionally, I helped create a brochure and introduction letter to assist in reaching out to organizations for potential partnerships. During my experience, I learned the difficulties and benefits of working in a start-up, the importance of network building, and how a non-profit functions. This experience helped me gain new skills and exposure that I can leverage in my job search after I graduate next spring. I am grateful to the Curriculum in Global Studies for sponsoring me in my internship, and allowing me to expand my work experience in an area that intrigues and excites me.

Ting Zhang

Summer 2015 was a rewarding summer for me as I had the chance to intern at think tanks based in the capitals of both the United States and China. My work at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC focused on the histories of both China and North Korea, whereas my work at the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) in Beijing focused more on contemporary Chinese issues such as immigration and studying abroad. I learned so much not only from the work I did inside the office, but also from the many forums that I attended hosted by the organizations and the people that I’ve met inside these organizations. Working at the Wilson Center and the CCG has given me more insight into policy-related work and a clearer vision of what I want to do in the future. I hope to continue to pursue policy-related work on a more global scale. In conclusion, I’d like to thank the Curriculum in Global Studies for awarding me the internship grant, encouraging me to pursue these phenomenal summer internship opportunities.