ALLIES Internship Panel by Simon Weiss (A’24)

by tuftsigl
Feb 03

In November, ALLIES welcomed back, virtually, four ALLIES alumni for the annual fall internship panel. The panel included Eva Kahan, a research assistant at the Institute for the Study of War; Shaan Shaikh, a research associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Roland Gillah, a negotiator for Mercy Corps; and Sarah Lubiner, a J.D. candidate at Georgetown University Law Center. The panel discussed how they found opportunities in their fields of interest through Tufts and how to navigate the internship process.

The panel began the event by discussing the basics for freshman and sophomores just looking into internships. They advised students to do research on a broad range of internships in government, think tanks, and NGOs. Panelists noted that being able to advocate for yourself was critical in finding an internship that suited you.

Next the panelists discussed their favorite internships, which ranged from working at the DoD to the ALLIES Joint Research Program. Many of these experiences directly translated into figuring out whether or not a specific job was of career interest to the panelists. Beyond career prospects, the internships were valuable in terms of networking and meeting colleagues interested in similar things.

The panelists also discussed preparing for internship interviews. They spoke to the ways in which you could practice giving interviews by talking to yourself in a mirror, recording yourself answering questions, and writing concise question responses. The panelists also discussed doing research ahead of time about the organization you are applying for because it shows commitment and dedication to the interviewer.

To conclude the discussion, the panelists answered audience questions about networking and applying to internships with a broad interest in various IR fields.