GRIP, Internships Abroad My First Two Weeks at UNESCO

UNESCO, France

It has been two weeks since I began my internship. On my first day, I was very nervous and was not sure what to expect. Once I met members of my department my nerves began to ease. I was given a very nice tour of the building and some useful background information on UNESCO and the Bioethics department. I was then taken to the office and desk where I would be working for the next twelve weeks.

I felt very welcome by everyone, and even though some members of the team were very busy they still took the time to welcome me, have coffee with me, or even have lunch. My favorite part of the internship so far is meeting people. UNESCO’s staff is very diverse, as I walk down the hallway I can hear colleagues speaking English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and more. I have learned at least one thing from every person I have met. From some  I learned a fact, others gave me advice, and a few told me their stories and the path they took to get to where they are. I love the diversity and I am inspired by how hard some members of the team worked to get to where they are despite major obstacles.

So far working at UNESCO has been very interesting for me. My daily tasks are helping members of the team with whatever they need help with that day, which includes editing PowerPoint presentations and invitation letters, evaluating documents, taking meeting notes, and more. The highlight of my internship so far is the committee meeting I attended where representatives from different international organizations presented their annual progress in relation to Bioethics.

This week is Africa Week at UNESCO. Everyday this week there was music played by different African musical bands, stands representing different African countries selling food and products, as well as exhibitions of art and books by artists from each county. Events like these are so fun and I am glad that I was able to attend one during my first month here knowing that it had ceased for the last two years due to the pandemic. I hope more cultural events occur during my internship period.

Being here is yet another perspective brought to light. It is a very different and interesting world. Learning how organizations such as UNESCO function and seeing it from the inside is a unique opportunity. I am so grateful that I get to experience working with UNESCO in person, knowing that in the last few years several students were only able to intern remotely.