AW Global Health Alliances (VAW Global) is looking to grow our Medical, Dental, Global Health, and Veterinary Outreach Chapters and needs Team Leaders to do so!
The VAW Global Team Leader will gather students (interns) and prepare them for their medical internship in one of our global sites during the Winter or Spring 2024/2025 seasons. The fellowship will begin in January 2024. While in-country, VAW Global Medical, Dental, and Veterinary Interns work closely with local healthcare professionals and partners to implement primary medical clinics across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Through shadowing local physicians, interns will also learn about disease diagnosis, treatment courses, clinic operations, and basic pharmacology.
The Team Leader position is apaid fellowship; all interns will receive an internship for their completed clinical internship hours.
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Lily, a sophomore in SMPA studying political communication.
Interested in three-parent in-vitro fertilization, also known as mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRT)? Curious about the policy and biomedical implications of limited access to fetal tissue and/or embryonic stem cells? Thirsty for a deep dive into the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant-writing process? Desperate to lobby on the Hill with actual real-life staffers?
If you answered yes to any of these questions—or maybe just sat there like, um, well, I’m not sure but it kinda sounds interesting, maybe?—then my summer job would have been perfect for you.
Starting in June, I began the most rewarding work experience of my young life as an intern in the Public Policy & Media Relations department at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in Bethesda. For those unfamiliar with the ASCB, the society is an international community of nearly 10,000 basic biomedical researchers who focus almost exclusively on the cell. To best serve members, the ASCB advocates on their behalf, analyzes relevant policies, organizes annual meetings, and promotes professional advancement and diversity initiatives.
In the Public Policy department, I worked with the director to help streamline these processes. I researched, emailed, compiled, penned, and became embroiled in numerous email exchanges with my bosses that consisted mainly of “Oh my god, did you see this tweet?” and “Holy crap, I cannot believe that this is happening” and “Actually, I can totally believe that this is happening.”
Beyond the incredible camaraderie that existed in the office, my work was gratifying because my boss trusted me to complete work effectively and independently. I was put in charge of emailing staffers to set up meetings, drafting our notes for the meetings, and then had the ability to participate in those meetings. I drafted articles for our newsletter and website and helped to create our grassroots advocacy page. By the end of the summer, my boss told me to start calling myself a summer associate.
Working in biomedical public policy may not be for everyone, but biomedical research certainly impacts everyone. Without critical innovations in basic science—which is funded primarily by the federal government—our society would be plagued with myriad more illnesses and injuries. I’m proud to have worked for an organization like the ASCB which actively promotes the welfare of scientists and scientific progress across the globe and I urge everyone in UHP to take note of the advancements happening in our very backyard.
Link to an ASCB article that I wrote here. Find another one here.
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Bridger, an SMPA senior studying political communication and business administration. When I arrived at GW almost four years ago, international trade was not high on my list of issues of interest. Indeed, I am quite sure I had no idea what “international trade” really meant, to say nothing of how it impacts the lives of people all across the globe. However, as my time at GW wore on, and the issue became more and more salient, I decided it was time to educate myself on the issue. Since I was a Political Communications major who had already finished his Political Science courses, I turned to the world of internships to do just that. The US Trade Representative I spent the summer of 2016 at the United States Trade Representative (USTR), working in their Public Affairs Office. While I have interned many places throughout my time at GW, I had never taken on a full time internship. To those reading this, wondering if you should work full time for a summer, I would advise you to do so. At the USTR, not only was I able to develop far more meaningful professional relationships than I have previously at internships, but I was also able to grasp the material to the point that I felt I had, at the very least, achieved a solid understanding of a very complex subject. Moreover, by interning in the summer, I felt I was able to get my first real glimpse into what the “real world” of 9-6 work looks like. You don’t realize, as a student, how tired you’ll be at the end of the day, or how little time there is during a work week for things you really enjoy. While that may sound a bit downtrodden, the experience of working at the USTR made me realize that prioritizing what is important, and working somewhere where you are fulfilled and happy, truly are keys to an enjoyable life. Furthermore, for those reading and wondering if they should use internships to expand their knowledge base, I say go for it. Believe me when I say I did not have a great grasp on the Trans Pacific Partnership when I arrived at the Winder Building in early June, and that was definitely intimidating. However, by the time I left I felt I had achieved a mastery of the subject, and that I could defend the deal’s merits to anyone. By throwing yourself into professional situations that force you to “figure it out”, you, in a way, force yourself to improve. Especially when pay is minimal or nonexistent, finding ways to take things away from an internship other than the line on your resume is the most worthwhile thing you can do. Expand your horizons, don’t worry if you don’t know everything about a subject, and, if possible, try an internship that allows you to explore a topic that you may not know all that much about.
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Zach, a pre-law CCAS junior studying history, law and society, and jazz studies. As I sat in a black van with tinted windows, driving down Constitution Avenue towards the Supreme Court, Edwin Kneedler, a Deputy Solicitor General of the United States and 125+ Supreme Court Oral Argument veteran, turned around and said to me, “So what the hell happened at the Oscars last night?” Innocently sitting at my desk, the head of the Research & Publications division walked in and handed a thick packet to the paralegal sitting at the desk behind me. The packet was the United States’ Amicus Brief in State of Washington v. Trump, being delivered for cite-checking. And every morning, Noel J. Francisco, the current Acting Solicitor General, President Trump’s pick to fill the role permanently, and the legal architect of Travel Ban 2.0, smiles at me and says good morning. These are just a few of the quirks of my job as an Administrative Intern in the Office of the Solicitor General of the United States. It’s an interesting place to be, nowadays, but to understand exactly why, let me give you a quick briefing on what exactly the OSG is and what the Solicitor General does. The Solicitor General of the United States is responsible for representing the interests of the federal government in all litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States. This includes in oral arguments, where the SG represents the “United States” and its executive agencies when they are parties to a case; via writing amicus curiae briefs, even in cases where the United States is not a direct party, and deciding when to appeal cases to the Supreme Court. For instance, Solicitor General Don Verrilli represented Sylvia Burwell in the Obamacare litigation (King v. Burwell, Zubik v. Burwell, etc.), and the OSG wrote the Obama administration’s brief in Obergefell v. Hodges, the gay marriage case. It’s an office that has immense influence on the development of law, and it’s rightly considered by many to be the pinnacle of the legal profession – just ask Justice Thurgood Marshall, who called his time as Solicitor General “the best job I ever had.” The internship has given me an incredible level of insight into my future profession. One of the main perks is carte blanche access to the Supreme Court, so I’ve been able to ride in the van with lawyers preparing to argue on a given day, watch them argue, and observe them debrief from the experience. For a nerd like me who would wake up at 5:00am to see Oral Arguments anyway, it’s a dream come true. As a history major, it’s been fascinating to walk through the halls of the Justice Department and see faces of Attorneys General and Solicitors General past looking down on me. The OSG, one of the offices created by the 1870 Act to Establish the Department of Justice, has a deep history. It’s been involved in just about every major Supreme Court decision in our nation’s history: former SG Samuel Phillips represented Homer Plessy in Plessy v. Ferguson. Solicitor General Philip Perlman first suggested in his brief for the United States in Henderson v. United States that Plessy should be overturned. Assistant to the Solicitor General Philip Elman wrote the amicus curiae brief in Brown vs. Board of Education which suggested the “with all deliberate speed” approach to racial desegregation. It’s an office that has been the primary force for justice and change since the very outset of its existence. Merely being present and attentive during the past few tumultuous months to watch the nation’s best litigators, do their work, irrespective of politics, has been a fascinating and instructive experience. Iwouldencourageanyonewhoisinterestedinaninternshipthattrulygivesyouaplatformforhigh-levelobservationtoapplyfortheinternshipforthefall, and feel free to reach out with any questions you might have.
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Benji, an SMPA junior studying Political Communication. You can learn more about Benji here. Walking in a Memorial Day Parade
It was easy to overlook in the craziness of this past presidential election, but there were lots of exciting campaigns all the way down the ballot. Over the summer, I had the privilege of being a part of one of those races. As the press intern for Tammy for Illinois, I worked closely with members of the communications team to get Tammy Duckworth elected to the U.S. Senate. A campaign press internship is a fast paced, tiring, and often thankless job. I’d be the first person in the office in the morning to send out an email with important news that is going to be driving the day’s conversation, and one of the last people to leave after making sure there was no breaking news – a rarity during this election cycle. In between, most of my time was spent media monitoring: scouring various news sites and social media for any mentions of my candidate or her opponent. Throughout the summer I also participated in the various traditions of campaign life: marching in parades, stuffing envelopes, knocking on doors, and most importantly asking people for money. Calling up complete strangers to solicit donations is a surprisingly useful skill! Supporting Tammy Duckworth at a press conference
The best parts of my internship were the chances I got to write speeches, statements, and op-eds. It’s extremely challenging to write in someone else’s voice, learning how to match their cadence and speaking quirks, but the feeling of seeing your work printed in the paper and hearing the candidate deliver your words makes it all worth it. In my time working for Tammy I wrote on subjects as varied as Wall Street regulations and subsidies for corn growers. That’s one of the things I liked best about working on a campaign; so many different topics are covered and so many crazy things can happen that every day at work is unique. Celebrating the victory at the election watch party
As a political communications major in the School of Media and Public Affairs, the material I learned in class was directly applicable to the work I did for my internship. But you don’t have to be an SMPA student to have a successful career in politics. In fact, I picked up some of the most important abilities in my Honors classes. As annoying as it was to see red ink splattered across my Origins papers, my professor’s critiques made my writing shaper and more concise – essential traits for political writing. Additionally, the Honors Program developed my critical thinking skills, so I could cut through the boatload of information floating in the news and pick out the issues that actually mattered. I even managed to work a Plato reference into a speech!
Even though the next election seems so far away, its vital to realize that there are campaigns all the time for local races. It’s here that many of the most impactful decisions are made. So if you’re upset about the current state of American politics, hop on a campaign and elect people up and down the ballot that stand for the values you care about. As Aristotle pointed out, we are all “political animals”, and there’s no better way to tap into that natural instinct than by working on a campaign.
The following blog post was written by peer advisor Delaney, an ESIA sophomore studying international affairs. Learn more about Delaney here. I have always been a fan of the planning. In high school, I had weekly plans but also a broader monthly plan. I loved agendas, and I still do. My mom’s go-to Christmas gift to me each year is a wall calendar. It felt natural then that before coming to college, I should have a plan for my future. This plan formed midway through my junior year of high school when I discovered my love of international affairs. My plan was to major in international affairs, do all things international affairs and pursue internships with international foci. Basically, I wanted to follow a straight and narrow path toward my intended career as a diplomat for the United States. When it came time to pursue my first internship, I maintained this line of thinking. By summer, I had a running list of about seven internships I thought I wanted to apply to. I applied and was accepted to one, which I was relatively happy with. The organization was international, but the department I was placed in did not particularly interest me. Nevertheless, I accepted the offer. Just a couple days after interviewing with this organization, I stumbled across another internship per the suggestion of a friend. The internship was with EMILY’s List which, after a bit of research, I discovered was a domestic organization that aimed to help elect pro-choice, Democratic women into office, with a particular focus on millennial women and women of color. I loved these goals, but the organization was domestic, not international, hence a deviation from my original plan. Despite my concerns, I applied and two weeks later was offered a position on their State and Local Campaigns team. Don’t get me wrong—I love domestic politics. I had been following the election since before the primary. I was the girl in high school who was teased about her vocal political views. My Facebook is littered with political posts, and I geeked out so hard over this election. By no means was I uninterested in domestic politics; I simply had intended to pursue a career in the international arena. I had to make a decision. Should I forgo the opportunity to intern with an international organization in a not-so-great department to work for a domestic organization I had just become interested in a couple weeks prior? Was I seriously considering deviating from my plan? After talking with my mom, consulting with friends from school, and some one-sided conversations with my dogs, I decided to back out of my internship at the initial international organization and accept my offer at EMILY’s List. The State and Local Campaigns Team (I am on the upper right). This decision was undoubtedly one of the best I’ve made thus far in my collegiate career. I joined a group (/network/family) of well-connected, wildly intelligent and passionate woman who genuinely care about their work. I experienced this election year in a manner I never thought possibly. I gained skills I will use for the rest of my career, participated in meaningful work, and had so much fun doing it. One of my favorite memories from my internship was traveling with staff members and interns to the suburbs of Virginia for the weekend to encourage people to vote on election day. I woke up at the crack of dawn and sat in a small van, all the while discussing the election, our intended careers, our backgrounds, and our hopes for the future of the country, sharing laughs and small life stories. While knocking on doors, I met so many kind and interesting people and was able to bond with my colleagues in a very new way. Ultimately, adjusting my life plan to allow for an internship outside of my original goal afforded me so many unique opportunities like this one. Canvassing with some wonderful women and Ray, our tech support guy (featuring my awkward squat in the front) As it turns out, deviating from your initial plan and trusting your gut, your mom and your dogs is often the best option out there. There has not been a day I have regretted diverging from my plan, and in fact doing so has opened doors to international careers I had not previously considered. My advice: don’t be afraid to pursue opportunities that force you to adjust your original plan. You never know what doors will open and what experiences you’ll gain as a result! Part of the Fall 2016 Intern Class on election night.
The following blog post was written by peer advisor Kelsie, a CCAS sophomore studying political science and history. She also works in the UHP front office! You can learn more about Kelsie here.
I’m sure that everyone is just dying to read more about the elections of last week, but I’m here to share my own work experience during the historic 2016 cycle (keeping opinions to a bare minimum, I promise):
Last summer I worked on Susannah Randolph’s congressional campaign after I found a post looking for interns on the UCF Political Science Department website. This local election was a pretty big deal. Florida’s 9th congressional district covers a huge chunk of the state; the southeast side of Orlando, down into a generous portion of Osceola and Polk counties. The 9th district is a Democratic stronghold in Florida, with the blue candidate winning by 10 points or more in the past four elections. Alan Grayson was the two-term Representative for the district, but he left the seat to run for the Senate. The seat was open, without an incumbent, and whichever campaign won the primary election had a near certain general election win, the pressure was on.
At the beginning of the summer, most of the work I did was on a computer: compiling lists of potential voters, maintaining records of calls to donors, and researching opponents. Occasionally, I would help do ‘call time’ with donors, dialing numbers and passing calls on to Susannah.
Canvassing neighborhoods was the biggest portion of the work that I did. We would go out to different parts of the district, often driving about an hour out to Polk County on the weekends, to talk to voters. We knocked on doors and passed along information about the campaign and our candidate to voters. As the primary drew closer, we would go out almost every evening to neighborhoods in all three counties. Walking around in temperatures above 95 degrees was not the most pleasant thing to do, but I did enjoy the conversations that I had with enthusiastic voters. I learned a lot about the people that live in my community and what they wanted and needed from their representatives.
When absentee ballots were sent out, we started phonebanking every night to remind people to fill out and return their ballots. We also provided information about Susannah and answered questions about her platform. When early voting started, we called to help people make plans to vote, making sure that they know where their polling place was. I felt that this was probably the most impactful thing that I did during my time at the campaign; even if the people I spoke to didn’t vote for Susannah, hopefully they did go out to vote.
Ultimately, Susannah did not win the primary. We ended up with a respectable 28.2% of the vote in a four-way race. We did get the most votes in Polk County, which I am very proud of after having canvassed in the boiling Poinciana sun. Our opponent, Darren Soto, won the November election and went on to win the general election a week ago, keeping the district in Democratic hands.
In terms of life lessons, I learned a lot about communicating with other people. Making sure that the other person feels like they are being listened to is especially important. Voters are people, and people want to have their concerns heard. Also, I think I finally overcame the Millennial aversion to talking on the phone, it is a whole lot easier after hours and hours of practice with people that you don’t know.
The smaller sized campaign allowed me to some fantastic contacts with people who have already helped me out with future aspirations. My advice: if you do decide to stay home for a summer, make it an election year and get involved in your local politics, they really are important and an excellent learning experience.
The following blog post was written by peer advisor Eva, a senior in the Elliott School studying international affairs (and getting ready to graduate in December!).
Since May, I have been interning at an international development organization called Winrock International. It was founded by Winthrop Rockefeller (get it? Win-Rock?) and strives to empower the disadvantaged in the US and abroad. I was brought on to support the closure (aka closeout) of the Room to Learn South Sudan project, a USAID-funded program increasing access to primary education in South Sudan, especially for vulnerable and marginalized children. My very first major task was to create a tracker in Excel to document what paperwork had been received for each of 991 grants. Copying and pasting all the individual 11-digit grant numbers and their pertaining school names was NOT the most thrilling task, nor was color-coding cells to document the state of the paperwork. However, I was surprised to find that I actually really liked when I had all the information together and could really easily determine what was missing, what was incorrect, and what the next steps were to ensure compliance. I did the same review for HR files (staff files) – for over 120 South Sudanese staff.
All the documentation for literally EVERYTHING in the project got sent to our office in Arlington. It’s like Christmas, if you wrote to Santa asking for 31 giant boxes of paperwork. So I spend a lot of time sitting in what I call “The Cave.” Here’s a picture (and yes, the back row is double stacked):
The Cave
It’s actually really soothing to tune into some podcasts (I recommend Serial, Lore, or Stuff You Should Know), and just organize papers, and it’s secretly one of my favorite tasks.
I also learned how to deal with a security emergency during July when we had to evacuate our international staff due toviolence in Juba. I can say that I have supported a project which directly reached over 300,000 primary students in South Sudan by providing them materials essential to education, which is a lot of kids – let alone their teachers, parent-teacher associations, and local education officials who also received training and support. I learned how to manage a project budget, calculate burn rates (spending), I tracked the transfer of over 1400 assets valuing over $1 million, and I currently am editing our annual report which describes all aspects of the project that took place over the last fiscal year – October 1, 2015-September 30, 2016.
So. If any of these things sound cool to you, you should definitely look at internships and jobs in international development! Any domestic job is going to be super administrative – you have to be detail oriented, focused, and able to quickly learn new applicable skills that you definitely weren’t taught in class. Lots of entry level development jobs want you to have experience in administrative tasks including donor compliance, budgeting, event planning, and booking travel, and this kind of internship is a great way to get that alongside exposure to any variety of “technical” areas of development – education, civil empowerment, agriculture, environment, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene).
“But Eva,” you might be saying, “I really want to go abroad and actually do development!” Well, that’s awesome! The best way to do that (or work in development domestically) is to learn your basic administrative project management skills, but then get some experience in the technical area of your interest! You should also look up development organizations that work in your area of interest to get a sense of what’s out there, and look at specific jobs to see the qualifications and experience required or preferred – that will help you shape your plans and decisions for classes, other internships, and work after graduation.
So, if you’re interested in international development, I would absolutely recommend looking into specifics of the field to get a sense of what exactly the jobs are like! Go to career events, join networking organizations, and speak with professionals – these will all help inform your quest to improve the world.
The following blog post was written by peer advisor Michaela, a senior in SEAS studying civil engineering and international affairs. To find out more about Michaela, see her bio here. This past summer, I interned as an Engineering Technician for the National Park Service, in the National Mall and Memorial Parks. You know those weird-wonderful dreams you’ve had where you became a resident of Pawnee, Indiana, and got to chase Lil’ Sebastian (Rest in Peace) and accidentally marry gay penguins? Well, as an avid fan of Parks and Recreation, I now had the opportunity to live that dream, or so I thought. Don’t get me wrong, I came in as a strong Leslie Knope, with unbridled enthusiasm, ready to break into the boy’s club of park maintenance and renovations. But after the glow of being employed by a great organization wore off, after realizing that my job was predominantly computer based, and especially after walking up every stair of the Washington Monument (that thing is too tall), I started to identify more with April Ludgate. I worked on drawings of bathroom renovations and concrete plans, sat in a cubicle, and rarely got to go outside. Because of this and the fact that much of my job was to point out flaws in the parks and memorials, April’s deadpan humor and utter hatred of her internship made a lot of sense. Coming to work became a drag, and I realized that working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week can get really boring. There were moments where I remembered my Knope-ish side, however. Case in point: The M. One day, our Cultural Architect walked in with multiple pictures of an M. Actually not an M, but a lack of an M. You see, there is an inscription on a stone on the ground of the Korean War Memorial, all in metal plated letters. An M had popped off of the inscription in March, and it needed to be replaced before Korean government officials visited DC in a couple weeks. We didn’t have any drawings of the M in our files, so the Cultural Architect and I scanned the picture of where the M was supposed to be, drew and cut a couple Ms, and then headed out to the memorial to see which one fit best. Now instead of wondering about urinal heights behind a computer, I was crouched over hot stones at the Korean War Memorial, debating M angles, while many tourists and tour groups walked by, some of them taking pictures of our desperate attempts to find the perfect M. Some tourists asked us questions and thanked us for our work (I had no idea what they were talking about. I mean come on, it’s an M). One woman even teared up at our devotion to the memorial and, by the transitive property, our nation. I tell this story because while yes, I was extremely bored the majority of my internship, there were moments that were unbelievably entertaining and engaging. There were moments that made the boredom bearable because despite working on drawings, I was indirectly helping people experience our nation’s history through its memorials and parks. There were moments when yes, that weird dream was reality and my coworkers and I had the comedic timing of the Parks and Rec crew. But an internship is, in fact, a full-time, tiring, job, and it’s ok to feel like April Ludgate about your internship. Just so long as you feel like Leslie Knope about your career, and keep enthusiasm about the future.
The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Emily, a CCAS junior studying environmental studies and sustainability. You can learn more about Emily here. Isn’t the Osa gorgeous?
Walking into Osa Conservation’s DC Office on a sunny day in August I did not realize I was embarking on a new chapter of my life. I was certainly excited to see what the office would look like, I sincerely wondered if the goals of the organization would be reflected in the office’s atmosphere. I was not disappointed as I entered a warm and cozy floor filled with bright colors and images of the rainforest and its breathtaking wildlife. My personal favorite would have to be either the picture of the soaring macaws or the duck calendar. I instantly was soothed, and knew I was in the right place. As an Environmental Studies major I am extremely passionate about environmental issues and conservation. Osa was the perfect fit for me. Suddenly I was immersed in the world of protecting nature, which is right where I have always aspired to be. Osa Conservation works hard to protect Sea Turtles!
Through my time at Osa I was able to actually make a difference in the environmental world by helping to preserve the Osa peninsula. I think my favorite part of my internship at Osa was the outreach work I did. By spreading the message about our stations in Costa Rica I knew I was bringing awareness to our efforts and potentially encouraging another student or researcher to make the trip to the Osa. With each new person who learned our conservation message I felt as if real change was being made to protect the most biologically intense place on the planet. I learned so much from editing the blogs of researchers and I could directly connect my classes to what I was learning about the Osa. These little frogs are just an example of the amazing biodiversity found on the Osa.
I never imagined that I would get along so well with everyone else in the office. It seems that caring about the environment attracts a certain type of person, one who is open, friendly, caring, and engaged with the world around them. I loved talking to and learning from everyone in our Office, the neigboring Amazon Conservation Office, as well as our staff down in Costa Rica. My fellow intern, Parita, and I shared a special bond and I am so thankful that my internship not only gave me professional contacts but good friends as well.
In this position I gained a better understanding of how an environmental non-profit functions which is extremely valuable experience for me because working for an organization like Osa has always been a potential career path. I am now better prepared for another internship or even a job that involves non-profit work, communications skills, tropical ecology research, or conservation work. It was so refreshing to be doing work that I could directly see the positive results from. In this role I was helping to improve the larger world and make a significant impact on the wildlife, people, and environment of Costa Rica. When I walked into the Osa office I knew I was doing something that mattered and that made all the difference
