Search - Experience Matters - Grand Valley State University

Organizing for America

Caleb
Major: Political Science As an intern I got to do a wide variety of work, everything from phone banks to canvassing. I was appointed to the position of Canvass Captain and worked under my staging location director to set up and organize the canvassing for the weekend, tally numbers, and report them. I also registered voters on campus, did data entry, and worked to get volunteers.

MRP Victory Center

Meghan
Major: Political Science The main objective of the party at this stage in the election cycle is collecting voter identification information. In this goal volunteers and interns like myself were sent out with walk books of specific areas in Genesee County to collect information on registered voters to see if these voters supported the party's efforts. The same process of identification was also done over the phone with computerized call lists and the Smart Survey programming on the phones. I was also asked to call precinct delegates in attempt to get more volunteers in the office. In doing this work I met candidates and would work campaign fundraisers for these hopeful candidates.

Law Firm Internship - Chase & Bylenga PLLC

Kevin
Major: Political Science Over the course of the semester my main responsibilities throughout the duration of the internship was to work alongside the attorneys and other staff members of Chase & Bylenga PLLC. Since bankruptcy is a long drawn out process, to ensure the rebuilding of financial stability, I had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients; those who were clients prior to my hiring as well as new clients who our firm was just opening their case files. Over the course of my internship the tasks that I carried out on a daily basis were and were not limited to attending and taking case notes for 341 meetings of creditors, attending and taking case notes for court hearings with the attorneys, observing intakes and various meetings with clients, calculating monthly incomes of clients to generate a viable budget plan, keeping client and creditor addresses current and up to date, document production of client's files, noticing of pleadings, and generating fee app reports. All of these tasks are of vital importance to such bankruptcy cases. These tasks are standard operating procedures in order to make certain that clients are following strict budgetary commitments in order to resolve their debts as soon as possible as well as keeping files organized for all attorneys and other staff members so that a customary, sequential process for achieving financial stability can be carried out.

Internship with Senator Carl Levin - Washington D.C Office

Lizzie
Major: Political Science As a legislative intern, I spent most of my time attending hearings or briefings and writing memos. Personally, I was assigned to work with the Legislative Correspondent responsible for judicial issues, foreign affairs, and civil rights. I wrote short, two page papers about various topics including the TSA's possible policy change which would allow small knives back on airplanes and the proposed construction of a preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I also performed various administrative tasks such as sorting mail and email and giving tours of the Capitol to visiting constituents.

Intern on the Hill

Trevor
Major: Political Science While in Washington D.C. I had the opportunity to work on many projects. One of the tasks that I enjoyed the most was working with the constituents of the district. Every day I had the opportunity to speak with constituents on the phone, correspond with them through e-mail and letters, welcome them into the office, and guide them around the Capitol. I also had the distinct privilege of attending several briefings and hearings concerning various topics such as financial services, foreign affairs, and policy issues. Often times I would be asked to assist Staffers on researching legislation or standing in on meetings for them.

Field for Congressional Campaign

Brittany
Major: Political Science During this internship, I had many projects and tasks that needed to be complete. Often times I was in charge of training new interns with the programs that we used daily to track the progress we were making in reaching voters. I also trained volunteers on making calls and recording the responses. Other main tasks included making public appearances such as in parade or at events, creating flyers, and advising on future projects.

My experience with Senator Stabenow

Jenelle
Major: International Relations I completed various tasks and projects. I recruited and managed volunteers for canvasses, press releases, rallies, and events. I recruited volunteers by calling individuals and past volunteers. I also phone banked and called voters to seek their support for Debbie. Moreover, I attended events with Senator Stabenow. Additionally, I translated for the Senator when she came to the Hispanic Festival and when she did press releases to the Spanish news media in Grand Rapids. I also helped my campaign manager cut turf for the volunteers that canvassed. Furthermore, I also helped collect and record campaign funds at events with the Senator. Also, I assisted other candidates such as Winnie Brinks with their campaigns. Finally, I served as a poll greeter on election day and helped translate for voters that were not fluent in English.

Learning about Integration in Ireland

Denise
Major: International Relations Everyday tasks that I completed were updating the Facebook website and Twitter with Irish news and events on immigration. In the beginning of the internship I found journalists that often reported on immigration or racism ad made a presentation about the company and the issues migrants are facing. I also worked on the 'RISE' (Refugee Interactive Skills for Employment) project, for which I reviewed lesson plans and tested the educational computer games. Another project I was a part of was the 'mimen' project, which was a project looking into the issues of male third country nationals. I helped look for interview volunteers by reaching out over Facebook and handing out flyers. I also transcribed a focus group interview in which young men described the problems they are facing in Ireland. Lastly I worked on the launch of the Annual Report on Integration, for which I contacted government official and distributed the Monitor.

Internship at WMRECC

Kathryn
Major: International Relations I acted as an administration intern and filed family files, a conference intern by assisting in the orchestration of an refugees education strategies conference and as a peer support intern by facilitating a elementary student after school group.

Non-Profit Experience

Brittni
Major: International Relations I completed general administrative/clerical tasks, such as answering phones and getting the mail. I also helped prepare for Grand Action committee meetings. I represented Grand Action at an event at the Downtown Market. I managed the Market Grove Community Campaign where I was in charge of orders, data entry, and fundraising. I managed the Market Grove Facebook page as well. Also, I designed invitations for our two Christmas parties. I filled in twice for Abby who is the Executive Assistant.

Ottawa County Clerk Elections Intern -- Round 2

Lizzie
Major: International Relations Throughout the semester, I researched various topics � the biggest research project I had involved researching elections hardware around the state and around the country. I also worked extensively on a video project for the Clerk's office which was well received by other County employees.

Michigan Coordinated Campaign

Luke
Major: International Relations Assisting the Campaign Manager with absentee voter contact, yard sign organization, volunteer organization, data entry and community outreach. I also worked on email and social media organization, research and writing tasks, design work, and media tracking. Operations management, scheduling, data entry, mailings, research, and various project management jobs.

Nairobi Summer Internship

Margaret
Major: International Relations " Update the Duty Books, which are given to provide guidance for Duty Officers handling difficult emergencies including deaths, violent and nonviolent crimes, theft and robberies, and Americans stranded at the airport. " Send out updated lists of Americans residing in each zone throughout the region to the corresponding wardens. " Organize and compile a manifest of all Juba Evacuation cases. " Complete and clear pending Juba Evacuation cases. " Send out letters to wardens informing them of a new aspect of their service " Compile a list of pending diplomatic passports and follow-up with the list after we receive a new batch of diplomatic passports through the mail. " Respond to emails in the inbox NairobiTownHall@state.gov and compile a comprehensive list of Americans citizens attending the May 29th Town Hall meeting at the CMR. " Email letters to new registrants informing them of what zone they reside in and who their warden is and remove the two months of backlog. " Create the latest version of the ACS Newsletter to include remarks from the Town Hall and inform Americans about emergency preparedness. " Updated spreadsheet with handwritten information for the DNA unit and remove six months of backlog.

political internship

Chris
Major: International Relations While with the West Michigan Democrats I participated in ground and phone canvassing. Initiating and maintaining voter profiles, data and following up with voter inquiries. After collecting raw data I was responsible for entering clearly and precisely of said raw data into a national party database to be used by campaign strategists and managers.

Refugee Resettlement Internship

Leah
Major: International Relations I provided medical transportation to and from appointments, aided caseworkers in managing their caseload, and further developed financial literacy orientation material for incoming refugees. I was also a "cultural mentor" for a specific refugee family, which entailed helping them with daily tasks, answering any questions, helping them feel more comfortable, and simply talking (with a lot of laughing and miming of course because learning English does take some time!)

West Michigan Refugee Education & Cultural Center : Internship Experience

Francis
Major: International Relations As a site administrative intern, my tasks were : to supervise literacy lectures for older children; to update reading scores in files; assist with coordinating the peer support program for middle and high school refugee students; and the Leadership program for outstanding students to help them reach their potential in leadership skills, to improve their communication skills as well as community service. During field trips, I helped along with volunteers and other interns to look after the children.

VSFS E-Internship (State Department)

Lizzie
Major: International Relations Unlike other internships in which I have participated, I was only responsible for one project - I was to interview Saudi students studying in the United States and ask them for their impressions of the U.S, what they miss about home and what job prospects are like back home. I was assigned this task because the U.S embassy in Riyadh is not allowed to approach students in the country so they relied on me to gather this information. I reached out using social media and existing contacts to gather these interviews. I utilized a small questionnaire I composed.

West Michigan Refugee Education and Cultural Center - Research and Development Intern

Sheila
Major: International Relations As a research and development intern, my main task was to research Unaccompanied Refugee Minors, Unaccompanied Alien Children, and the Cuban and Haitian refugee background. With my research, I created both power point presentations and general information worksheets on these communities. For my research I primarily utilized print and online sources, however, I also conducted in-person interviews with individuals working with or who are part of, the communities I was researching. Once my research was completed and reviewed by the internship coordinator, I presented my research during a professional development workshop with local school officials. In addition to research, I tutored refugee youth and conducted public relations work for the center.

Working for WMOAS

Alyssa
Major: International Relations The OAS hosts an annual conference with the help of IDDA for college students across the hemisphere. In participating in this conference, WMOAS, students are able to apply their knowledge of the OAS and its past and current diplomacy work, through debates and crisis solving. My role in this conference was to help a special committee solve a simulated crisis between certain member states. I worked with this group of students throughout the week by facilitating discussion and providing pertinent research. I also worked closely with the Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary General, in a time-management sense, to ensure we would have enough time to completely solve this crisis.

Michigan Senate Campaign Internship

Jacqueline
Major: International Relations " Assists with event planning and voter contact " Meets and greets constituents within various settings " Assists with fee compliance and regular finance operations " Knowledge of current domestic and foreign issues

Embassy Intern

Allen
Major: International Relations Research economic data for the economic section of the embassy. Updated the information of the master list of Filipino-Americans and the various Filipino organizations in the US. Helped organize embassy events. Attended meetings and be able to see first hand how deals are made in regards to import/export, security, and other international issues.

Van Andel Global Trade Center Experience

Sarena
Major: International Relations A majority of my time as an intern has been spent learning about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States and applying that knowledge to actual client projects. I helped develop and execute a process for NAFTA Supplier Solicitation and performed NAFTA analysis on client's goods. I also spent time researching various international trade issues and agreements for clients. Other tasks included creating marketing pieces for training events and assisting the Center with day-to-day activities such as telephone calls, database maintenance, and program preparation.

Wandering

Spencer
Major: International Relations Much of my tasks in the after school program was to help students learn and grow as individuals, teaching them values that will help to empower themselves for future aspirations.

Building Bridges

Dominique
Major: International Relations I worked directly with refugee students, as a tutor, I also provided transportation. I performed research about refugee resettlement, and problems with the refugee population in the United States and in Grand Rapids. Helped organize resources for the students, such as computer software, and book cataloging.

1st Internship

Paul
Major: International Relations Supporting refugee children to gain the necessary skills for integration into the community through providing comprehensive educational support, along with fostering cultural knowledge and understanding.