Loading... please wait

As a global events intern, how did it feel to travel to Bogotá and witness the Americas Summit come together in person?

Traveling to Bogota was without a doubt the highlight of my internship experience with Concordia. All of the work that I had done before the trip pertained to the Americas Summit, and it was so incredible to see it all come to fruition in Colombia. As my fellow interns know, Concordia relies heavily on their interns and put a lot of trust and responsibility in our hands. In Colombia, my main role was recruiting and managing all of the volunteers – around 20 in total. It was an unforgettable experience getting to spend time with those volunteers, they truly played a major role in the success of the Americas Summit.

 

Using what you’ve learned from this experience at Concordia, what does social impact mean to you?

    1. To me, social impact pertains to the capacity an individual or group has to impact both their local and global communities. Before working at Concordia, I would not have included global communities in my description of social impact – rather, I saw social impact as an individual’s ability to impact his or her community. However, after seeing the caliber of the positive impact that Concordia had on Colombia and the region, I came to realize that part of social impact is not only bettering the community you live in but bettering the world at large. If every organization viewed social impact in two parts, (1) impacting their local community and (2) impacting the global community, I think the world would be in a much better place.

 

What are your plans now that your internship at Concordia is nearing its end?

    1. After my internship with Concordia I will return to the University of Virginia where I am enrolled in a 5-year dual-degree BA/MT program. Upon completion of this program, I will have earned a BA in Youth and Social Innovation with a minor in Spanish as well as a Master’s Degree in Teaching for Elementary Education. I plan to teach in inner-city public schools for a few years and then possibly pursue Education Policy or work for an NGO with a mission centered around improving the quality and access to education globally.

 

congratulations! Now that you’re embarking on your next step, what will you miss the most about Concordia? Will we see you at the Annual Summit?

    1. I am definitely going to miss the work environment that I experienced at Concordia this summer. All of Concordia’s staff is so young, vibrant, and driven. The team’s ability to problem-solve and think on its feet is something that I really valued this summer and hope to encounter wherever my career takes me. I will be returning to NYC to work at the Annual Summit in September and can’t wait to be reunited with the team!