Washington Center

Student Stories: Fall 2016

 More Student Stories: Spring 2016

Roya Pourmand, UC Merced

Roya Pourmand, UC Merced

 

Roya Pourmand interns at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). As a Policy & Outreach intern, she drafts policy memos, monitors legislation, and attends events on U.S. – Iran relations. Roya is a Political Science major at UC Merced.

“From my first campus tour at UC Merced, I knew I wanted to participate in the UC Washington Program (UCDC). Living, working, and studying in D.C. far exceeded my expectations. It is extremely hard to put this experience into words, but D.C. has been a once in a lifetime experience.”

Francisco Salinas, UC San Diego

Francisco Salinas, UC San Diego

 

Francisco Salinas interns at Partners of the Americas, a non-profit that partners organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean with funding opportunities abroad. His duties include assisting in the production and translation of reports and outreach to educational institutions throughout Latin America. Francisco majors in Management Science and Latin American Studies at UC San Diego.

“I had the opportunity to attend Partners of the Americas’ bi-annual convention in Guadalajara, Mexico. This was an amazing opportunity to meet youth leaders and industry professionals from across the U.S. and Latin America. I made valuable connections and bonded with my colleagues through this experience. I even recorded a voice over for the convention’s opening video (https://youtu.be/a3LBs6k8g6E)!

My colleagues at Partners of the Americas really helped me in my professional development. They gave me feedback on my resume and career goals and encouraged me to apply to PiLa, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Policy Program, and the Fulbright Scholar Program. If all goes well, I plan to work at World Fund in São Paulo through PiLa before applying to grad school or the Peace Corps.”

Matthew Edmiston, UC Santa Barbara

Matthew Edmiston, UC Santa Barbara

"My internship at the U.S. Department of State showed me the significance of bilateral relationships between the United States and foreign countries. I worked in the Bilateral Trade Affairs (BTA) office which plays a key role in the development, negotiation, and implementation of trade agreements and programs. Trade is important because it can unite countries and turn former enemies into allies. Working in an environment that is focused on advancing the U.S. economic agenda showed me what goes on behind the scenes when trying to create or improve trade relations with another country.

Living in D.C. was a great experience and seeing the inner workings of the State Department gave me a front row seat to government operations. After graduation, I want to return to D.C. for its endless opportunities in federal government work."

Matthew Edmiston interned in the Bilateral Trade Affairs (BTA) office at the U.S. Department of State. As Trade Policy intern, he conducted research on U.S. trade and economic policy for department position papers, attended trade-related meetings and events, prepared briefing materials for senior state department officials, and learned about U.S. global economic development goals. Matthew majors in Economics at UC Santa Barbara.

Cecily Swason, UC San Diego

Cecily Swason, UC San Diego

"Working at BBC World News America has been a dream. Through this internship, I learned about what goes into writing and televising high-quality news at one of the world’s most important media companies. I watched producers and anchors as they dealt with second-by-second changes in information, script mishaps, and technical glitches. I shadowed British and American journalists, who gave me great insight about being a reporter. I interacted with important politicos and journalists throughout Washington, and candidly asked them about their personal opinions on the state of the country, world, and presidential election. Every day, I learned a new skill and grew as a professional. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience!"

Cecily Swason recently graduated from UC San Diego with a double major in Political Science and Communications. This fall, she interned at the BBC World News, Washington Bureau. Her job duties included conducting research for news packages, clipping segments, runner during broadcasts, accompanied journalists to interviews and video shoots, and more.