My 17 Week Internship at the Council
Taylor Budde joined our team as the Global Exchange Intern in the Spring of 2019. During her internship, she helped coordinate the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), sponsored by the U.S. State Department. Taylor’s passion for international understanding was proven through her work every day. She graduated from Thomas More University this spring with a double major in International Studies and Economics.
Taylor Budde, Global Exchange Intern
My 17-week internship at the World Affairs Council of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky has been one of the most fulfilling and exciting internships I have ever had. With over 200 documented internship hours, I have been able to learn about the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, all of the professionals who are doing work to positively impact this area, and how it often hosts diverse groups of international delegates who come through the U.S. Department of State. From every hour worked in the office to every event attended and every meeting I went to with international visitors, there was not been a moment when I wasn’t intellectually stimulated, curious, or overjoyed. Michelle, James, Arnela, and Hannah are not only hardworking in their important roles, but they are also passionate about building a “bridge that connects the world” to this vibrant region and “strengthening Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s international identity.” To be able to work alongside a group of individuals as passionate about international affairs and identity as I am in a small midwestern city like Cincinnati has been a blessing I didn’t think I would ever have.
In my role as a Global Exchange Intern, I worked with James McManus, Director of International Programs, to research, propose, construct, and accompany programs for international delegates coming through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. To get me acclimated to what this position’s daily roles were, James first showed me how to write a proposal for programs whose themes could be explored in the region with local professionals. For example, I wrote a proposal for a journalism program whose themes explored journalism in the United States. I found professional resources in the area, including WCPO Channel 9, WVXU Public Radio, and Soapbox Media who gave insights about journalism practices in their perspective companies. After researching professional resources, I was tasked with writing and sending appointment requests to those resources, confirming meeting appointments, drafting and finalizing a complete trip itinerary, and putting together a transportation guide for the company that is used to transport the visitors to their meetings.
Taylor volunteering at our Spring Speaker Series | International Institutions Under Strain | WTO.
Upon completion of these tasks, I had the opportunity to go to the various meetings with the delegations. This was, as James told me on my very first day, the most interesting and exciting part of the whole program process. Not only did I get to interact with and learn about the professional resources in this area, but I also had conversations and got to know the visitors who were part of the programs. Being passionate about travel and immersing myself in other cultures, I reveled in the stories and information that the visitors shared with me. For example, I got the opportunity to get to know a visiting journalist from Turkey who, despite all of the dangers that encompassed her job as a female journalist in her country, savored every day she got to work and report news to her fellow citizens. Her story and dedication was truly inspirational.
Apart from my specific role as a Global Exchange Intern, I went to every event that the World Affairs Council put on as I possibly could. From speaker series about International Institutions Under Strain to Global Chatter about Chinese Geopolitics, the World Affairs Council never ceased to amaze me with the expert and renowned guests they were able to bring into the community to educate and inspire anyone who wanted to listen. Throughout these 17 weeks, I have met incredible people such as Daniel Ikenson, Director of the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies at the CATO Institute and Anne Grimes, Director of the Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Taylor with third-grade students at Summit View Academy for our Art Meets World Program.
Along with all of this, I was also able to help out the team at an educational event at a local grade school, Summit View Elementary, a World Affairs partner. In these educational events, local students listen to a presentation about a country (China, Japan, India, Mexico), and do a craft that relates to that country. For the event I attended, the theme was Japan. After listening to a local Japanese woman talk about Japan and its culture, I was able to work with 2nd and 3rd graders to help them construct origami cats, dogs, and samurai hats. While I was nervous to interact with such young children, I had so much fun helping them learn about Japanese culture and engage with it through the medium of art.
In my internship at the World Affairs Council, I can confidently leave knowing I have learned, experienced, and built networks with some of the most amazing and influential people in this region and in the field of international affairs. My only regret is not knowing about the council sooner and missing out on so many opportunities they had before I became an intern. I will forever cherish the lessons I have learned, the memories I have made, and the friendships I have acquired while working at the World Affairs Council.
