Summer internships vary drastically between majors, ranging from highly specialized engineering internships to nonprofit international missions internships. Over the summer, I had the privilege to work as a content writer for The Borgen Project, a national nonprofit organization working to end international poverty through national aid. Writing for this organization helped me to understand a completely different world of internships and get to know more about the working world for writers in the 21st century.
So, what exactly is The Borgen Project?
The Borgen Project is a large nonprofit based out of Seattle, Washington that focuses on ending international poverty. Instead of simply donating funds to struggling countries, the organization works to improve the educational system for children and clean water access in rural areas. The Borgen Project works with legislation at the national level to push for international legislation that improves both the political and economic stability of countries, with interns working to talk to their legislators and advocate for increases in the international affairs budget. Using social media and blog posts detailing news about third world countries, the organization works on building public awareness towards easy improvements that the United States can make to better the world around us.
How do internships work?
For my internship, I worked as a Content Writer from June until August, which meant that I was producing articles for The Borgen Project blog once a week for twelve weeks. As a writer, I got to choose which topics I covered, as long as the subjects pertained to international affairs. My specialty over the summer was women’s education in third world countries, with a concentration in STEM developments in Southern Asia. For example, here is one of my articles I wrote over the summer: https://borgenproject.org/female-stem-education-in-sri-lanka/ . While I was an intern, I was also expected to email my senators and congressmen regarding international politics and fundraise to aid the developments for The Borgen Project. My internship was online, so I was able to do all of my work remotely and submit a weekly tracker online, which was extremely convenient for me since I could set my own pace for working.
My flyers I posted to raise awareness for The Borgen Project
My feelings after the summer
Throughout the summer, I really enjoyed working for The Borgen Project. While this was a writing internship, you didn’t have to be an English major to get this internship; the project met me at my worst and worked with me to develop my writing skills for publishing on a blog. I got to write about subjects that I was passionate about and learn more about other country’s educational policies while learning more about my influence on government. If there’s one thing that I took away from this internship, it’s that every voice counts. Through emails, phone calls, and meeting with legislators, I was able to watch international legislation be changed just from twenty voices being raised in favor of a bill.
Why should you do this?
I’d recommend working for a nonprofit to just about anyone (and not necessarily this one, writing is not everyone’s dream summer job!). Working to bring back to the community, both local and international is an extremely rewarding experience that helped me to focus my life on helping more than just myself. Watching your voice be heard in government, in big and small ways, has got to be one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve had in a while. Working for a nonprofit helped me to further my horizons, and I definitely recommend finding your own way in one during the summer!
For more information on The Borgen Project, please visit http://borgenproject.org