Students combine courses, seminar with international internship

Mr. (or Ms.) Smith goes to Washington? Well, perhaps not as a senator but certainly as a UW–Madison student enrolled in the Washington, D.C., “Semester in International Affairs.”

This first-of-its-kind program at UW–Madison, sponsored by UW–Madison’s Division of International Studies, gives advanced undergraduates an opportunity to combine course work, a seminar and an internationally focused internship. The internship enables students to examine contemporary international concerns in a practical manner, while making a positive contribution to the operation of a particular institution.

Five students, all from Wisconsin, set out this fall for the nation’s capital and are thriving as they go about their work and studies. Among the highlights of the first few weeks have been informational visits to international organizations and government offices, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and World Vision, a relief and development organization. Trips to the White House, the State Department and congressional offices are planned. The group also has met with distinguished UW–Madison alumni based in Washington, D.C. The students even attended a welcoming barbecue.

“It’s a very engaged and enthusiastic group,” says Cynthia Williams, Division of International Studies’ director of external relations.

The concept of a Washington, D.C., semester in international affairs grew from the commitment of a group of alumni who recognized the value of bringing undergraduates to the nation’s capital. Several alumni, including Leon Weintraub, adjunct professor of political science at George Washington University; and Tony Carroll, counsel for Manchester Trade, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm specializing in international trade and investment issues; serve on the program’s alumni steering committee and have been actively involved in assuring the initiative’s success.

The students involved are:

• Nicole Gulatz, a junior from Kenosha, Wis., majoring in international studies with an international political economy concentration, is interning at the World Health Organization (WHO) office at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. At the WHO office, she is setting up a database and communication system on World Bank projects. At UW–Madison, she has been on the Dean’s List every semester and has studied German and French. She worked as a pharmacy technician for two years and says that this experience made her more aware of health care issues.
• Lauren Hansen, a senior from the Milwaukee area majoring in political science and history with a certificate in African studies, is interning with the Corporate Council of Africa. Hansen spent last semester in Senegal living with a host family while studying and interning at the African Integrated Development Network. As an intern, she assisted in organizing community forums on women’s development issues in Dakar. Upon graduation, she hopes to return to Africa to work for an international organization, and eventually would like to go to graduate school. On campus, Hansen has been responsible for helping international students with immigration issues and orientation in the Office of International Student Services.
• Anastasiya Laufenberg, a senior from Madison, majoring in international studies, is a native of the former Soviet Union. Before entering UW–Madison she lived in Kazakhstan and worked as an interpreter/translator for a multinational company. In Madison, she has supported herself by working part-time at the State Department of Corrections as a financial and administrative assistant. She also uses her Russian language skills as an interpreter at UW Hospital and Clinics and volunteers at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, interpreting for children from Chernobyl who come to Madison for medical treatment. In Washington, D.C., she is interning with a private consulting firm, International Business-Government Counsellors Inc., reporting on congressional hearings and conducting client-based research.
• Scott Muir is a junior from Burlington, Wis., majoring in both international studies with a global security concentration and African languages and literature. He has taken five semesters of Arabic and also has basic Spanish skills. He is particularly interested in the Middle East and hopes his language skills and cultural knowledge will enable him to improve or repair contemporary American relations in that part of the world. Muir is interning with the Voice of America, where he is assisting in the production of international radio and TV news programs, especially those involving African countries.
• Ariane Strombom, a junior from Cross Plains, Wis., majoring in international studies and political science, is interning with the United Nations Foundation. An active volunteer and leader in the Madison area, she has served as chair for the Associated Students of Madison’s “Vote 2004 Campaign.” She created the “Vote 2004 Coalition” in which she led a group of student organizations developing nonpartisan voter education, registration and mobilization initiatives on campus. Her mother is from Argentina and her father from New Zealand. She is fluent in Spanish and has studied French for six years.