Hello! My name is Kate Rose, and I am a rising sophomore at Tulane University studying International Development, Political Economy, and French. This summer, I will be an intern at the New York City office of Girl Rising, a nonprofit that focuses on expanding access to education for girls around the world.
Because I’m from a smaller town in Washington state, I am incredibly excited for my first experience working at a large-scale nonprofit, although I have had experiences in the past that led to my interest in women’s education. This school year, for example, I took classes in international development and international relations/political science, and learned about the feminist theory of political science and the impact of women’s empowerment on international development. I studied the positive economic, social, and political effects of educating girls in developing societies, and look forward to helping an organization with efforts to directly further this development mission. I will also be working on specific teacher toolkits for use in Pakistan and Thailand, running a global creative challenge (helping seek stories from all over the world of people making change for girls), and working with the US educator program in fundraising and development. After volunteering in the New Orleans school district, I am intrigued to learn how to make teacher resources and curriculum more gender-streamlined and inclusive of the entire student body. Finally, after interning this semester at the Congress of Day Laborers in New Orleans, I look forward to working on educational campaigns for refugees. Working with the immigrant population in New Orleans this semester, I’ve been exposed to many gaps in the New Orleans school system’s ability to accommodate the needs of immigrant children, and want to work to improve resources for international refugees as well.
My learning objectives and hopes for this internship are as follows:
- Learn new ways to use storytelling and personal narrative as a tool for social change, specifically focusing on a particular audience and adjusting strategy and content based upon this viewership.
- Gain skills to work effectively on a diverse project team, completing tasks with other interns, staff, and team members from different departments at Girl Rising, as well as forming professional connections and expanding my network.
- Within whatever world region I am assigned for the Girl Rising project I will work on (most likely Pakistan, Thailand, or the US) to develop a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing women’s education in that country.
- Increase my competency with media platforms, marketing, and other skills used to create a powerful global campaign and convey educational material to educators, policymakers, and other community leaders.
- More fully understand the role of government, both national and local, in influencing education reform and expanding the presence of girls in school.
I hope to achieve these goals at the completion of my internship, as well as experience and further NCI’s stated mission of “educating undergraduate women for leadership in the 21st century.” I believe that my internship will fulfill this function in two ways. Primarily, by introducing me to a nonprofit work environment and exposing me to a cohort of talented, passionate women in the world of international development, I will develop my own skills as a leader, co-worker, and scholar. All of the staff members at Girl Rising are women, and I am excited to learn from the ways that they have navigated and positively impacted the field I hope to enter one day. The projects I will be working on, additionally, are in the interest of women and girls around the world. The staff at Girl Rising believes that by educating a girl, she is not only a more empowered citizen, but is able to further the sustainable development of her family and community as well, leading to a more equitable society.
Right now, to prepare for this internship, I am currently in contact with two of my supervisors who will oversee my work at the organization this summer. They are reviewing my resume and will let me know beforehand if there is anything I can assist with or begin before my internship starts at the end of May. In the meantime, I am reviewing all relevant content produced by Girl Rising, including their first movie production, media campaigns targeted towards specific countries, and relevant news articles and content relating to the mission and goals of Girl Rising. I will search for content particularly relating to education in Pakistan, Thailand, and refugee camps across Europe to make sure I am aware of current problems, policy, and attempted solutions. I am ecstatic for the opportunity to live in an international development capital, work with inspiring women in a field I’m considering, and expand access to education around the world this summer. I couldn’t be more excited to begin!