Andrea Andrada
The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland

I just completed an incredible internship experience in Edinburgh, Scotland with EPA Internships in Europe. I was an intern for the Scottish Parliament during a major campaign season, and during my stay I participated in one of the most historical and exciting political times since the reopening of the new Scottish Parliament. I was an intern for Michael Matheson, a Member of the Scottish Parliament who is also the Deputy Covener of the European and External Relations Committee and a member of the Health and Sport Committee. I also had the honor of meeting, arguably, two of the most important people in the Scottish government: Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, and Nicola Sturgeon, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland. It was also great working with various ambassadors and other international political figures during my internship. I lived in a great flat near the Edinburgh Castle and loved it! The location was very central and practical for me, and I had the option of traveling around Scotland and other parts of Europe during the weekends. My favorite memory was being asked to sing a traditional Scottish song at a political function and having an entire room of Scottish men and women decide to sing along with me. It was a touching moment of two cultures coming together through song. I know I got the most out of my semester interning abroad and I couldn't be happier!

Paige Epstein
The White House in Washington, DC

Collin Groebe
Patton Boggs LLP – Washington DC
Former Senate Majority Whip – Trent Lott

In the spring of 2011, I had the opportunity to spend my residency in Washington, DC at a large law firm, Patton Boggs LLP. Placed in the Public Policy Department, I primarily assisted in representing four clients: American Association of Orthodontists, Baylor University, Clemson University, and the Northern Intrafraternal Council (NIC). I was most passionate about advocating for the NIC as I was given the task of working on a congressional bill that allowed contributions to non-for-profit student housing to be made on a tax-deductible basis. I helped present the problem of college affordability to potential supporters, communicated a solution requiring lower housing costs, and fought opposition for the benefit of thousands of college students. In order to stay committed to the goal of college affordability, I ran and won a seat on the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee (FSPAC) Board of Directors. The FSPAC is the largest PAC dedicated solely to higher education needs and has raised more than $1 million since 2005 donating to a bipartisan slate of candidates. I am currently obtaining my master’s degree in political science while I continue to raise money on campus and recruit student leaders to foster political support for legislation that will assist students. My residency at Patton Boggs did offer diversity in its scope as I was additionally assigned to the Health Care, Corporate Governance and Public Finance, Education, and Intellectual Property Groups. Though I found myself passionate about my public policy work, I also found my exposure to each of these areas very interesting and rewarding.

Sarah Hyon
Tax Foundation - Washington, DC, International Criminal Court - The Hague, Netherlands

For two months, I was primarily tasked with researching present and proposed federal, state, and local tax policies, writing briefs and policy papers. I also had the opportunity to choose an over arching project on the solvency for state unemployment trust funds. Field Operation Section Intern, The International Criminal Court: From April until the end of August I was interning at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. The Field Operations Section is made up of two units. The Field Operations Unit handles the day to day matters encompassing everything from the communication between the headquarters to the field, as well as being responsible for the missions-needing to take into account the social and political climate, physical geography, and security of the various situation countries. The Field Strategic Coordination and Planning Unit on the other hand is more concerned with the political policies of the ICC and translating them into the field. I was fortunate enough to be able to work in both units whether it was writing standard operating procedures to be used both internally and externally, researching and writing reports on the designated situation countries specifically concerning the ICC's role in peace and justice, attending conferences and lectures, to handling the field operational logistics.

Carolyn Lang
Amnesty International, Media Relations department in Washington, DC

Carolyn Lang completed her residency in Amnesty International's Media Relations department at its American headquarters in Washington, D.C. Her internship involved working with the international media, writing and distributing press releases, scheduling interviews with the press, monitoring the coverage of Amnesty International in the US-based media, and assisting in the planning and advertising for events. She also assisted in other departments at Amnesty when necessary. The residency gave Carolyn a better understanding of American and international media, the operations of a large multinational organization, and a deeper knowledge of global news and human rights affairs. Carolyn became especially informed about affairs dealing with the Arab Spring, which was a focus at Amnesty International while she was working there.

Erica Mazzotti
Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin / International Institute of New England

Erica Mazzotti fulfilled her first internship at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, Germany. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage cultural exchanges between peoples and nations in order to arrive at trust and mutual understanding for a more civil, respectful and diplomatic international stage. This exchange comes in the form of language, values, systems, beliefs, customs and ideas. She was Program Coordinator for the 2011 Berlin International Economic Congress and Program Director for the International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in the United States. Upon completion of her internship at the ICD in Berlin, Erica moved to Boston, Massachusetts and fulfilled her second internship at the International Institute of New England. The International Institute of New England is a non-profit organization that serves the immigrant and refugee community in the greater Boston area by providing them assistance with housing, job search and readiness, legal advice, learning the English language, and overall adjustment to their new lives in the United States. These clients went through a long process prior to their arrival in the United States, which was directed through the United Nations, the Department of Homeland Security and the International Organization for Migration. Erica personally assisted these clients through her internship within the Refugee Resettlement Program in the Department of Case Management at the Boston headquarters.

Patrick Parkes
Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government Foundation in Champaign, Illinois

Patrick spent his program residency working at the Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government Foundation in Champaign, Illinois. While there, he provided full-scale administrative assistance to the organization’s President and CEO. Specifically, he maintained monthly donation records and expense reports; researched new donor leads and potential program partnerships; handled various logistical tasks in planning for outreach events; and conducted research for future Academy publications. Overall, these duties provided Patrick with invaluable experience in the non-profit management field while simultaneously allowing him to deepen his interest in free-market political economy.

Michael Slana
US State Department, Brussels Belgium
U.S. Ambassador to the European Union – William Kennard

During Spring 2012, Michael interned at the United States Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. Specifically, he was accepted as the media analysis intern at the US-European Media Hub. At the Media Hub, Michael drafted, under the supervision of Foreign Service Officers, a daily analysis of the European press read by senior-policymakers in Washington and at embassies across in Europe. He also had the opportunity to observe some of the many events covered by the Media Hub in its role as regional press bureau and coordinating center, and toured the other US Embassies, to Belgium and to NATO, that make up the Brussels Tri-Mission.

Spring 2012 CLP Residencies