Sarah Hussain, BA International Studies; BA Spanish ‘20
Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu (CEPA)
Peru
First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank Ms. Amy Rose Silverman for funding this opportunity of a lifetime. Interning and teaching with the Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu (CEPA) in the mountains of Peru truly changed my personal, academic, and professional life for the better, and I would not have been able to make this dream a reality without the support of the Rose Silverman Internship Fellowship. This internship helped so much in expanding my understanding of the work I want to do because it opened my eyes to some of the more difficult realities of education-related humanitarian work. This internship was a perfect companion to all that I have learned in my International Studies coursework at the University of Michigan, and it reaffirmed my passion for bringing quality education to communities that feel left behind.
Karuna Nandkumar, BS International Studies ‘21
Anti-Slave Labor and Human Trafficking Clinic
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) School of Law
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
When I arrived in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in May, I didn’t speak any Portuguese. After five weeks at the UFMG Law School Human Trafficking Clinic interning with Judge Carol Henrique Haddad, I led a classroom discussion entirely in Portuguese on human trafficking law and immigration law in the U.S. This is reflective of my experience as a whole in Brazil, which gave me the opportunity to support an important cause while immersing myself in the local language and culture. Overall, this program embodies the Program in International and Comparative Studies (PICS) values of intercultural exchange and global understanding. I was able to learn far more about Brazilian law, politics, language, and culture through this five-week experience than I could have in a traditional classroom setting. The program also solidified my desire to pursue international diplomacy and human rights work, promoting cross-cultural exchange. I plan to continue learning Portuguese and return to Brazil in the future. I would like to thank PICS and Ms. Amy Rose Silverman for making this incredible experience possible.
