Most students choose to pursue summer internships in their fields of interest. Select student internships include:
U.S. Department of State, International Organizations Bureau: Office of Policy, Public, and Congressional Affairs
Washington, D.C.
"My internship was very satisfying as I was given the
responsibilities of a regular employee. I was able to watch US foreign
policy take shape and solidify every day. I prepared press guidance
about several issues relating to events in the UN, such as peacekeeping
in Darfur and the inauguration of the Human Rights Council. Each day
during the Lebanon crisis, I prepared a briefing book for the Assistant
Secretary about USG public statements about Lebanon."
UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency)
Conakry, Guinea
"I conducted individual interviews with refugees who had specific
protection concerns and was responsible for writing up a monitoring
report and referring individual cases to the protection officer in
charge if I was unable to address the issue on my own. I also conducted
background research on the countries of origin for refugee status
determination and individual case files. In additional, I worked on food
distribution and repatriation registration in camps and developed a
survey and compiled statistics on refugees' desire to repatriate. The
opportunity to interact with refugees on a daily basis both in an urban
and camp setting was tremendous, and it provided an understanding of how
UNHCR operates in the field."
United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
"I was an intern with the Rights Based Municipal Development Program
(RMAP). In this role I researched and drafted policy briefs outlining
sources of EU funding for the region as well as producing best-practice
guidelines for the effective absorption of these funds. My work with
RMAP included participation in the assessment and planning stages of
municipal budget development. I attended and participated in lively
municipal development planning sessions where I gained a comprehensive
understanding of local conditions and constraints and the way these
factors influence local development planning. I also worked as part of a
project team drafting and translating development plans and donor
project proposals."