Summer 2019 Participant
Internships are designed to provide students with the opportunity to briefly experience the professional world. Therefore, interns must rely on the occasion to one side display their academic aptitudes but on the other take the chance to learn and acquire a set of new skills. Many organizations do have great expectations from their interns. Hence, students must remain professional and proactive by immersing themselves in the working environment. Trust is earned and can foster an environment where students/interns will be delegated important tasks. Interns become then part of the daily operations of the structure through their inputs. An internship abroad beside being the opportunity to venture in an unfamiliar environment must also serve as experiencing a new culture and set of values.

Summer 2019 Participant
As a Global and International Studies major student I have only foreseen the State Department as the only career field upon graduating from KU. However, the internship abroad gave me a glimpse of an unfamiliar field. In fact, I was placed with YOUMEWE, a non-profit organization which is invested in introducing the youth living in children's homes in Japan to the world of digital literacy. YOUMEWE relies of some of its major donors such Microsoft and Apple, to donate computers across Japan. The electronic devices then serve as teaching the kids living in the children's homes various programs. They range from Microsoft software certification in word, excel, power point, etc. to drawing, writing, and coding. As a brand ambassador during my internship beside working on punctual admin tasks as directed by my supervisor, I was also tasked with monitoring a digital interface, which promotes online training and child development, called Night Zookeepers. My assignment involved sorting out data, ensuring of the practicality of the interface, and reviewing a curriculum which main goal is to prescribe online safety guidelines. Mr. Clemons, the supervisor and founder of YOUMEWE also gave the interns the opportunity to participate in weekly home visits. We got the meet and interact with few of the kids living in the children’s homes in Tokyo on multiple occasion. From the experience, I learnt that piloting a non-profit organization goes beyond a simple gesture of kindness and welfare. In reality, a non-profit organization actions shall consistently call upon having a critical and ever lasting effect on a community.

Zane Hayden, Summer 2019 Participant
Something I found most rewarding was being able to experience part of the work/leisure dynamic in my host country because of my participation in the internship. This helped me get a better understanding of several aspects of my host country's culture, such as transportation and food.