Madilen Gesse

Majors: Global Studies and Spanish
Minors: Political Science and Arabic

Research Assistant at Fundación Chīle 21

How did you learn about this internship opportunity?

I learned about this internship through personal search of think tank internship opportunities.

How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals? How did being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue apply to your internship?

This internship taught me research skills, interpersonal skills, professional networking, and cultural diplomacy. This experience gave me insights into the network of diplomatic and government officials and advisors. This showed me the impact of think tank research and their outreach capabilities.

The Purdue Liberal Arts program prepared me for this internship by its emphasis on critical thinking skills and research paper assignments. Additionally, the history courses in the liberal arts program gave me historical context for issues that were analyzed in the present day.

What is a piece of advice you would give someone in your major looking for an internship?

Take advantage of your relationships and personal contacts. They are a good reference and may have helpful connections. The world is small, and making relationships can lead to many opportunities you would not ever think of.

What key responsibilities or tasks have you taken on during your internship?

I worked on projects with organizational coding for international governance monitors, grant proposals, and collaborated with other interns to produce a foreign policy analysis paper.

In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participation in our job-ready program specifically aided your professional development?

Being a CLA student and learning the critical thinking skills prepared me for the tasks in this internship. The Job-Ready award made this internship possible for me as it afforded me money for rent and transportation to Santiago, Chile. Without the opportunities offered by being a CLA student, I would not have had the skills or professional background that I have today.

Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in this program that you find particularly noteworthy?

The opportunity to work and engage in the network of political discussion in a different country was the most rewarding experience. This gave me insight into how their government and network of governmental advisors were organized in Chile. With my outsider perspective, I witnessed the impact and public opinion of the United States in this sector. Overall, it was the most rewarding experience of my college career, made possible by the Job Ready scholarship.