Internship with the UN: "A Transformative Experience"  

Senior Vanessa Vuji is interning at La Volce de New York, an Italian-English journal affiliated with the UN.

Vanessa Vuji is a senior studying International Relations and Diplomacy and Modern Languages here at Seton Hall. She is currently interning as a reporter with La Voce di New York, an Italian-English United Nations based journal. Vanessa recently posted this report from the field on the Practicing Diplomacy blog.

My internship has been an incredibly transformative experience – one that has shaped my academic and professional endeavors. Interning for the United Nations has always been a goal of mine. With this work, I am not only directly engaging with UN professionals, but I am also shaping my career path by taking on work that aligns with my interests. Being involved in the world of political journalism has exposed me to an entirely different professional career path, one that I may consider in the future.

My interests in conflict resolution and international politics, coupled with my passion for journalism, prompted me to pursue an internship that combined my academic interests and build on my experience with the Journal of Diplomacy, where I am a contributor,

As an intern, I am primarily tasked with attending press briefings and Security Council meetings. The notes that I take at these meetings allow me to write my articles for La Volce di New York, which I usually write in Italian, although I am also tasked with writing in English. These articles center on important issues taking place around the world, such as climate change, immigration, public health, domestic politics, or international conflict.

This internship gives me the ability to inform people about global events – events that often do not get enough coverage. For instance, one topic that I was able to research focused on the rejection of Syrian refugees from Greece. I was able to learn about international politics as well as the inner workings of the United Nations.

The research and writing that I conduct at my internship host site are skills that I learned through my coursework at Seton Hall. The skills that I developed from writing research papers and essays are directly transferable to my internship. These skills have gotten stronger since I began my internship, as I am constantly researching, writing and translating.

My Italian language skills have also greatly improved.

When the internship started, I found it difficult to write articles in Italian. However, with the help of my supervisor, I strengthened my grammatical skills, particularly, my verb conjugations and translations.

The lessons I have learned through this internship are numerous. Students interested in global affairs and political journalism will certainly benefit from interning with La Voce di New York. This internship is a great way to improve your writing, research, and language skills, and provides the opportunity to advocate on important issues taking place across the world.

To read posts from other Diplomacy interns, please visit the Practicing Diplomacy blog.

Categories: Arts and Culture, Nation and World