Claudia Brinks
BA Political Science and International Studies (International Security, Norms, and Cooperation)
Internship with the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
My academic interests focus on the intersection of international law and human rights, specifically within the transitional justice field. I have furthered my interests in these topics through my extracurricular involvement, including my time as a human rights researcher with the Michigan Foreign Policy Council, a member of Sigma Iota Rho, and a Donia Human Rights Fellow.
This summer, I took on the role of a research intern with the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. PCRC is a women-led peacebuilding and research organization dedicated to supporting post-conflict reconciliation efforts throughout the Western Balkans. They prioritize conflict prevention, peace education, human rights, transitional justice, and a future free from conflict. During my internship, I worked on various initiatives that furthered PCRC’s mission while advancing my understanding of human rights and transitional justice within the non-profit sector. Specifically, I worked on social media campaigns promoting PCRC-sponsored events in Sarajevo, including the opening of the Mother’s Scarf art installation and commemoration events marking the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
Throughout my internship, I also had the opportunity to visit various international organizations and NGOs around Sarajevo, including the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, the International Commission on Missing Persons, the Office of the High Representative, the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and many others. These visits allowed me to gain a better understanding of the current political system within the country and how organizations are working to protect human rights within the country. This year also marked the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, where I participated in various commemoration events, including PCRC’s annual Youth School, where youth from around the world came together to learn about the genocide and engage in meaningful dialogue.
My experience abroad has completely transformed my educational experience and the trajectory of my future. Having the opportunity to not only live abroad but also experience what it is like to work in another country has given me the confidence to broaden my horizons with respect to my future career and academic goals. Living in Sarajevo has also given me a new passion for working within the non-profit sector and has motivated me to learn more about Eastern Europe, specifically the Western Balkans, which is often a region overlooked by Western academia and the media. This opportunity has shown me how an organization like PCRC can have a huge impact on local communities to create positive change. Before knowing about this opportunity, I never imagined I would have the opportunity or the means to visit Bosnia, but after concluding this internship, I am so grateful for the time I spent there and the relationships I made along the way.
Something that I did not expect during my time abroad was the culture shock that comes with being in a new country, specifically with the pace of life within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being at the University of Michigan, I am used to the fast-paced nature of campus life. Living in Sarajevo, where many of the things that we often take for granted in the United States are not available, allowed me to think more critically about how I go about my everyday life. Intentionally living more slowly and taking in the world around me was a lesson I learned very quickly while in Bosnia. The simplest things, like sitting down for a coffee or dinner with friends, became more intentional and a time to truly come together after a long workday. Not having the luxuries that I enjoy within the United States also gave me more confidence, as I had to find new ways to do things in a language I did not understand. Going to the grocery store or navigating public transportation became new challenges that I would not have thought twice about back home. Learning how to problem-solve and figure things out on my own has given me a renewed sense of confidence.
The most valuable part of my experience was the opportunity to visit various international organizations operating within Bosnia and Herzegovina and talk with experts about the current political and social climate in the region. This opportunity provided me with a greater depth to my understanding of the opinions of people living within Bosnia and what measures organizations are taking to better the lives of those living there. On the other hand, it was incredibly valuable to hear some of the shortcomings of these organizations and discuss with locals their opinions on the effectiveness of these organizations. Overall, this extra exposure to life in Bosnia and Herzegovina gave me a new perspective on how international organizations and NGOs operate within a different country and how the international community can better support their missions.
A memory I will never forget was the time I spent in Srebrenica and Potočari during the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide as a participant of the annual Srebrenica Youth School. On July 11, I, alongside my fellow interns and other youth school members, spent the day at the Srebrenica Memorial Center alongside thousands of others who came to remember and pay their respects to the victims of the 1995 genocide. This was also the time that they would be lying to rest victims of the genocide whose remains had been found in recent years and whose families had decided to bury them at this year’s anniversary. This experience allowed me to witness the pain that many people continue to endure, even 30 years after the genocide occurred. It was a sobering reminder that there are still families who are continuing to search for the remains of their relatives and are urgently seeking closure so many years later. As someone interested in working within the transitional justice sector, the opportunity to witness and be surrounded by individuals who have been directly impacted by the genocide has given me a renewed perspective and awakening that the individuals and places that experience these horrific events are real and not simply pages in a textbook. This perspective is something that not many people get to experience, and I will forever remember this experience and take what I have learned into my future academic and professional career.
Rachel Chiles
BA Political Science, International Studies, and German
Internship with SASANE, an anti-human trafficking charity organization
SASANE aims to rescue survivors of human trafficking through legal means and then supports survivors in developing sustainable futures for them that lead to further pathways for outreach and human trafficking prevention. My position was Social Justice Activities Assistant, and I assisted with general clerical work, job training for survivors, and website development.
This experience taught me the limitations of what I can contribute as a student intern. Originally, I thought this would be a chance for me to start doing the work I want to spend my life doing, but truly, it was a chance for me to learn how to do the work I want to spend my life doing. I learned when to be a student and listen. I learned what it entails to create sustainable social change and the importance of working with those being impacted to create community-led solutions and avoid paternalistic humanitarianism.
The most valuable part of my experience was the chance to expand my worldview through my learning and Nepal's culture. I learned what it was like to work with a small non-profit, how to create sustainable social change, and developed my cultural competency through first-hand experience in Nepal.
I had the opportunity to take part in a 4-day mountain trek to Poon Hill with SASANE's sister organization, SASANE Sisterhood Treks and Travel, which employs survivors of human trafficking. I was able to learn more about the organization, Nepal's culture, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. I saw the most beautiful views I have ever seen and had a lot of fun visiting the different rural, mountain villages and staying the night in teahouses..
Berelian Karimian
BA International Studies and Computer Science
Internship with J.P.Morgan, New York
During my summer internship in New York City, I had the opportunity to work on a variety of technical projects in the context of a large international financial institution, gaining hands-on experience and developing my programming skills with Java, Python, Spring Boot, and PySpark. I constructed scripts and backend systems to process large datasets efficiently, build scalable applications, and automate complex workflows for the marketing team of the firm. This work allowed me to strengthen my software engineering skills and gain practical experience in designing systems that handle real-world data challenges. My favorite part of the internship was the interdisciplinary nature of my project as it was necessary to consistently communicate with the product and analytics teams while I developed my solutions to their problems.
Although my internship was not directly related to international economic development, it provided me with invaluable tools and problem-solving approaches that will be critical for my future career goals. The ability to analyze large amounts of data, build reliable software solutions, and translate complex problems into actionable systems is directly applicable to creating tools for global impact, as I hope to do in the future. Furthermore, learning about the interdisciplinary nature of the firm and seeing how the teams collaboratively fit together gave me more insight into how I could fit into the firm myself. I now recognize how technical expertise can complement my international studies education, and the experience made me realize I want to pursue more research-based roles in the future. Research-focused work offers an additional level of understanding and perspective, which better equips me to develop effective solutions.
Particularly, as the intersection of technology to support informed decision-making and data-driven insights on an international scale and in global governance systems is an area of limited research, I am very interested in delving more into this field, either through future projects at the firm or through other research opportunities. Ultimately, my summer experience has shown me that even when work is outside my immediate field of interest, the foundational skills I build now will empower me to make meaningful contributions in research and technology-driven initiatives in the future. I learned to combine my analytical thinking with creativity and effective communication, skills that are essential for tackling complex global challenges in an international career. I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much, and I look forward to applying my skills in the next steps of my academic journey.
Allison Tate
BA Public Policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; Minors in International Security, Norms, and Cooperation (LSA) and Community Action and Social Change (SSW).
Dual-Internship Placement: EISH Impact Africa and MOSAIC Training Services and Healing Centre
EISH Impact Africa, soon to be a Public Benefit Organization, served as the lead NGO for the End GBVF 100-Day Challenge and related initiatives, advancing social impact in Southern Africa through time-bound, collaborative action. Its mission is to spark, fuel, and sustain locally driven movements for change by equipping communities with organizing tools, facilitating collective action, and building local capacity. MOSAIC Training, Service, and Healing Centre—an African feminist, community-based NGO—has worked since 1993 to prevent and respond to GBVF, particularly domestic and intimate partner violence. With a mission to prevent abuse, support survivors’ urgent, intersectional needs, hold duty bearers accountable, and collaborate with civil society, MOSAIC is now expanding into additional African countries. Over two and a half months in Cape Town, I served in a joint placement with EISH Impact Africa and MOSAIC as a Public Policy, Research, and Institutional Accountability Intern, supporting implementation of South Africa’s National Strategic Plan on GBVF (NSP GBVF) at both national and community levels. My work bridged high-level policy analysis with on-the-ground service delivery research.
At the national level, I examined the institutionalization of GBVF mandates within government by analyzing Annual Performance Plans, budgets, and policy directives of the 15 NSP Lead Departments—particularly those in the Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security (JCPS) Cluster—and mapping all nine Provincial GBVF Implementation Plans to identify opportunities for alignment, localization, and institutional integration. At the community level, I strengthened Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) frameworks by conducting focus groups with survivors and frontline workers. This allowed me to document systemic service delivery gaps, assess alignment between provincial actions and national priorities, and generate evidence-based recommendations. My role also included developing analytical reports and research briefs, contributing to youth programming and outreach, participating in survivor advocacy and court accompaniment, and engaging in stakeholder meetings, site visits, and planning sessions. Across both organizations, I followed a self-designed plan and bi-weekly reporting framework to ensure progress tracking, timely deliverables, and actionable outputs for policy refinement and institutional accountability.
This joint placement offered a rare vantage point to observe how national policy commitments interact with local realities, demonstrating that strategic alignment, evidence-based advocacy, and community partnership can together advance systemic change in the fight against GBVF.
This internship built on my earlier work in Belfast as a DHRC Fellow, deepening my commitment to humanitarian relief and transitional justice in post-conflict settings. I arrived focused on policy implementation but left with a broader understanding of the need to shape policy from the outset—grounded in history, law, and lived experience. I’m now driven not just to support recovery efforts but to help design sustainable, equitable frameworks that prevent future harm. Observing South Africa’s governance challenges, including the consequences of weak infrastructure, corruption, and discriminatory policy, reinforced my desire to work within systems—such as the U.S. Department of State, the UN, or other multilateral bodies—that can coordinate resources and dismantle structural inequality. This experience affirmed that my academic path—a B.A. in Public Policy with minors in International Studies and Community Action and Social Change—is well suited to these goals. My coursework gave me the analytical tools to assess complex systems, while the internship expanded that foundation in practice. Though I’m still weighing a master’s degree versus a JD, I now know that further practical experience in human rights and post-conflict reconstruction will make that choice intentional and well-informed. Most importantly, I’ve learned that impact isn’t linear—and that lived experience is just as essential as academic preparation.
What surprised me most about my time abroad was how much confidence I gained in managing complex, high-stakes projects independently, without compromising quality. I strengthened key technical skills—such as policy analysis, research objectivity, and assertive communication—through intensive, self-directed work, which confirmed my interest in research-driven roles within international security, human rights, and policy analysis. Just as transformative, though, were the interpersonal lessons. Working across cultural and ideological lines pushed me to communicate with greater intentionality, listen deeply, and approach conflict with empathy. These skills, I’ve realized, are as critical as technical expertise in any professional setting. Ultimately, the experience not only affirmed my passion for globally focused, dynamic work—it also showed me that I thrive in unfamiliar, high-pressure environments where adaptability, curiosity, and intellectual rigor are essential.
The most valuable part of my experience was the full cultural and professional immersion it offered. From traveling solo, trying traditional dishes as a recovering picky eater, and attending local events, to visiting townships for my research, I embraced every opportunity to learn. Even casual conversations—with residents, Uber drivers, or waitstaff—became moments of cross-cultural exchange and shared understanding. These experiences deepened my appreciation for the interconnectedness at the heart of International Studies and reaffirmed that my goals are not just aspirational—they are achievable through adaptability, strategic thinking, and a belief in research-driven policy as a tool for lasting change.
Professionally, the most challenging—and ultimately most impactful—moments were emotional. Early in the internship, I visited a Thuthuzela Care Centre and was devastated to learn that the survivors being treated were not the mothers, but their two- and three-year-old children. Though I intellectually understood the broad reach of gender-based violence, witnessing it firsthand was deeply affecting. Similarly powerful were my experiences working with youth in Bishop Lavis and sitting in on stakeholder discussions around GBVF. These moments underscored the emotional weight that often comes with careers in humanitarian aid and peacebuilding.
One memory that will stay with me is a weekend trip to the Cederberg Mountains with fellow interns—friends I was lucky enough to meet from around the world. We hadn’t realized how cold it would be compared to Cape Town and arrived completely unprepared: no coats, barely any warm layers, and nighttime temperatures dropped to -5°C. We piled on every long sleeve and sweatshirt we owned, but still shivered through the nights—and to make matters worse, the campsite pipes froze, leaving us without hot water in the mornings.
Despite the cold and discomfort, the hiking was absolutely spectacular. We spent nearly eight hours on Saturday climbing one of the Cederberg peaks and exploring the cracks at the summit, where the views were some of the most breathtaking I’ve ever seen. I took a few clumsy tumbles on the way down—partly because the soles of my Hokas had melted by the campfire the night before—but the experience was more than worth it. On Sunday, we explored the Stadsaal Caves and saw prehistoric rock art. We even spotted fresh leopard tracks, though the leopard itself stayed out of sight. Between the natural beauty, the shared challenges, and the laughter around the fire, it was easily the most memorable and meaningful weekend of my time in Cape Town.
