Name: Aleydis Barnes
Class Year: 2027
Major: Mathematics, Minor: French and Francophone Studies
Internship Organization: Research Institute for Migration and Forced Displacement Management (FORM)
Internship Title: Copy-Editor, Event Summary-Writer
Location: Vienna, Austria
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
At my internship, research is completed covering migration policy and the realities of migrant experiences. The institute publishes articles, attends events, and participates in the development of articles for specific journals. Throughout my internship, I acted as a representative of the institute, being present at talks about the circumstances of Yezidi refugees as a result of Germany asylum policy changes, and a debrief with stakeholders about the consequences of the recent EU Asylum Reform. I copy-edited articles from the institute, found potential peer-reviewers for research authors, wrote summaries for the events that I participated in, and assisted with technical problems.
Exploring the Business and Economics University of Vienna!
Why did you apply for this internship?
I applied for this internship because I was interested in working internationally, and hoped to gain experience in fields that I was considering to enter following graduation from Bryn Mawr. As a result, I applied for the internship abroad at Vienna, and detailed how I wanted to explore law and justice, as well as statistics, in my work.
Working remotely for the first time? What has that experience been like for you?
Working remotely taught me a lot about self-direction. I learned that I really appreciated getting to decide for myself the most effective manner of working on tasks, with less hand-holding and assistance. Unlike in school, where we are given rubrics and assignments delineated with clear specifications, at my internship, tasks were largely left up to me to figure out. I could make my work as in-depth as I wanted, and I really enjoyed getting to do my best, without worrying about grades or meeting extremely rigid expectations. Instead, I learned to answer questions that I posed to myself about my goals and my beliefs about my skills. I do think that I should have explored Vienna more, potentially, as working remotely, I stayed inside for much of the internship, avoiding the heat wave as much as I could.
Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?
The three adjectives that I would give this internship are Interesting, Hopeful, and Dedicated. Interesting because I found myself diving deep into the field of research, fascinated by all of the work behind the scenes of policy that I hadn’t been aware of before. Hopeful, since, in seeing people’s steadfast commitment to human rights and uplifting marginal voices, I was reminded of the positive powers that exist in the world. Dedicated because the people doing the work were so passionate and determined, that they left a mark on me. I hope that I can do similar in the future. The three nouns that I would use are research, policy, and human-rights.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
The most rewarding part of my internship has been getting to feel like I’ve learned more about what I want to do in my life, and my skills. I wasn’t sure what field I really wanted to enter into following graduation, but throughout my time here in Vienna, I have learned that I have a real passion for working quantitatively on analyzing policy decisions and implications. This has been a huge positive part of my summer, and I’m so glad that I had this opportunity to participate.
