Global Research Projects, Internships, and Conferences

Lomax Turner and Dawson Stout spent the summer volunteering with the non-profit Samos Volunteers (SV), which provides psychosocial support to asylum seekers traveling through Turkey to the island of Samos.

Noah Zussman spent his summer in Belgrade, Serbia interning with Srdja Popovic and his organization, the Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS). Noah helped to train activists from around the world in nonviolent civil resistance strategies.

Vladimir Proaño came to Geneva to intern at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the UN’s official branch in charge of research and capacity-building with the aim of disseminating knowledge to government officials, diplomats, and other stakeholders in member countries.

This summer Miranda Miller worked with the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington to foster cross-cultural understanding by promoting the work of artists from the Middle East and North Africa, hosting them in conversation, and connecting them with policymakers and other American counterparts.

As a D.C. intern, Brie Gates worked with the National LGBTQ Task Force in their Advocacy and Action Department to help craft comprehensive and inclusive policy. She also lobbied for these policies with U.S. Senators and Representatives.

With the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Sara Torres dove deep into a research project specifically focused on Mexico’s efforts to contain migration at its southern border.

Daniel Ndirangu’s research project on the proposed East African Federation involved interviews with a broad range of individuals with knowledge on the topic, from academics to think tanks.

As an intern at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington D.C., Ezgi Yazici was able to bring her Turkish identity to her research on Turkey, its domestic politics, and its foreign policy in Syria. (

Arjun Padalkar, Carlos Irisarri, and Elliot Lam traveled to Johnstown, Pennsylvania to learn more about how cities and towns in the middle of the U.S. are continuing to cope with the loss of manufacturing jobs overseas, especially in the steel industry.

In Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, Olivia Bronzi, Brnedan Foley, and Sachin Vallamkonda worked with the NGO, PHASE (Practical Help Achieving Self Empowerment), on their endline impact survey in order to assess the success of various livelihood and health interventions in the country.

Sara Torres (A'20) worked at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and learned about the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of Latin America.

Geoffrey Tam worked as an M&E Fellow working with MIT D-Lab Scale-Ups Fellowship in Kenya to research how moving to upgraded housing affects tenants in other areas of their lives.

Nicci Mattey (A’22) fought for progressive immigration reform at the Immigration Hub, in Washington, D.C.

Connor Doyle (A'21) interned for Endeavor, a leading company that supports entrepreneurs. Conner has gained hard skills. He entered cross-border support and investor introduction requests into Salesforce, poured over excel sheets about mentor skills, and helped compile profiles of all our mentors, board members, and entrepreneurs to showcase on Endeavor UAE’s new web page.

Patrick Beliard (A'21) had the honor of attending the Oslo Freedom Forum this summer. The Oslo Freedom Forum hosts activists who find themselves at the vanguard of civil rights protection—the crafters of a more just tomorrow. Talking to so many accomplished, passionate, and incredible activists made Patrick understand that the path towards justice, although tortuous and difficult, is always worth pursuing.

This summer, Carlos and two of his classmates, Arjun and Elliot, traveled to Johnstown, PA to get a better understanding a city facing out-migration from former industrial hubs. One of the goals of this narrative project is to document the lives of people in cities facing economic, political, and social decline.