Simon Weiss, ’24
On Thursday, November 19th ALLIES had the distinct pleasure of welcoming back four ALLIES alumni for the 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, Rolland 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 fields of interest through Tufts and how to navigate the internship process.
The panel began the event by discussing the basics for freshman and sophmores just looking into internships. They advised students to do research on a broad range of internships from the government, to think tanks, to NGOs. Panelists noted that being able to advocate for yourself was critical in finding an internship that suited you, as it would help you coordinate with the person who is interviewing 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 times to network and to meet 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.
Finally, the panelists answered audience questions about networking and applying to internships with a broad interest in various IR fields.