My name is Mia Tucker and I am a rising senior studying political science, international relations, and French. This summer I will be interning at the organization Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) in the greater-Paris area. COPE is an international network of persons and organizations in Europe dedicated to prison-related work pertaining to children’s rights and child welfare. The network acts as a collective voice for children with incarcerated parents throughout Europe.
My main role for this internship will be completing tasks of research and development for COPE’s European Journal of Parental Imprisonment, which is the most recent development in COPE’s series of publications. My work will involve editing and outreach to potential contributors to the journal. I will also provide a helping hand with awareness campaigns. Through my work with COPE I hope to achieve a handful of personal and professional goals. First and foremost, I believe this internship will be an excellent opportunity for me to improve my networking skills. Working on publication of the journal will allow me to be in contact with experts in the fields of international law and human rights. As someone considering a career in public international law, these connections may help me tailor my professional interests and consider alternate paths for the future.
Additionally, editing the journal will enhance my technical writing skills in both English and French. COPE releases an English version and a French version of this journal, and thus I will have the opportunity to work in both languages.
Another goal of mine for this internship is to better understand business growth and development. The COPE offices are quite small and thus all team members play multiple roles. This will also help improve my leadership skills since I will often be left in charge of assigned projects. The small nature of COPE’s office and the independence I will have while working there align well with NCI’s goal of educating women for leadership. I am sure my time with COPE will better prepare me for future leadership positions in the professional and academic worlds.
I have begun preparing for my internship in a couple of different ways. For a bit of background: I have been living in Paris since the end of August for a year-long study abroad program. My time spent here thus far has been the best preparation for this internship. I now am very comfortable in the city and have had time to work on my French (which will be useful for translations). More recently, I have begun reading old editions of the European Journal of Parental Imprisonment to better familiarize myself with the style and structure of the journal.
In all, I am extremely excited to begin my work with COPE! Not only will I be able to continue living in Paris, but I will also have the opportunity to work for an organization related to my field of interest and have hands-on work that will have meaningful impact on the organization.