Since 2013, the Rose Silverman Internship Fellowship has helped undergraduate students in the Program in International and Comparative Studies (PICS) at the University of Michigan participate in international internships and research. Ms. Amy Rose, who holds a Bachelor of Science from U-M, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Rose Associates, a real estate firm in New York City. It is through her generous gift to PICS that we are able to provide this support to students. With this fellowship, Ms. Rose assists students through their educational journey at Michigan by helping to fund their international extracurricular endeavors.

Ms. Rose’s contributions surely do not go unnoticed. PICS sat down with two Rose Silverman Internship Fellows, LSA senior, Thea Kendall-Green and junior, Eli Pollak who had a lot to say about their experiences. “My favorite part [of the internship] was how it opened my eyes to a new perspective I had never seen before by being in northern Kenya,” Pollak said. He interned with The Samburu Project in the summer of 2022. This organization seeks to provide clean, safe water for people in the region. “I was able to talk to so many people... learn so many unique stories about their lives and also try to implement some of the cool things from my life.” When asked what he would tell Ms. Rose if he had the opportunity to sit down with her, Pollak said, “I can confidently say that her donations were not just imperative in my learning process throughout my college career, but they created a waterfall of impact because of what I was able to do, and then it continued going on in Kenya… I can confidently say that her donation positively influenced the lives of thousands of people.” 

Furthermore, Thea Kendall-Green talked about her love for PICS, and how her internship at human rights law firm, Perseus Strategies, in Washington D.C. this past summer could not have been possible without both PICS and the Rose Silverman Fellowship. “Nothing I do could I do without PICS,” Kendall-Green said, “the resources that PICS has and the ease of contact [with faculty] have made getting internships like these easier.” Kendall-Green said that this internship made her confident about wanting to pursue a career in international human rights law, and she could not have had this opportunity without Ms. Rose, the Donia Human Rights Center, and PICS. This internship gave her invaluable real-world experience that gave her an idea of what she wants to pursue in the future. Ms. Rose is not only positively impacting the lives of Michigan undergraduates while they are enrolled at the university, but she is leaving them with a lasting, memorable experience upon which they will reflect for years to come.

PICS students can apply for summer funding through various fellowships, including the Rose Silverman Internship Fellowship. As one of the most popular majors in the College of LSA, PICS seeks to assist as many students as possible in their pursuit of education-enriching work experiences. We are so thankful to Ms. Rose for her support over the past decade.