Mount Allison student selected for internship in Washington under NAFTA Leaders agreement

This summer, International Relations (IR) student Graeme Blake will replace his Mount Allison classrooms with the corridors of Washington, D.C.  He has been selected for an internship with the prestigious Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars as part of a new agreement that Mount Allison University has just signed with the Center. Blake, who comes from Fredericton, will be working at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

The Washington Center is a nonprofit educational organization that offers students from around the world opportunities to work in the private, government, and nonprofit sectors in the Washington, D.C. area in combination with professional training and academic courses.

Blake says, “My internship with the Canadian Embassy will provide me with practical insights into the workings of international politics.  As such it will be a valuable supplement to the knowledge gained from the classroom, as well as a unique work experience.”  Last year, IR student Constantinos Ragas completed an internship with the Mexican Embassy under an earlier program.

Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, Dean of Social Sciences at Mount Allison University, says “This agreement with such a renowned organization fits well with the university’s plans to provide an innovative and carefully thought-out suite of international opportunities for our students. It not only provides students with work experience relevant to their area of study, but allows potential employers and partners to become aware of their skills.”

The internships are part of The Washington Center’s NAFTA Leaders Program that gives students from Mexico, the US and Canada training that highlights the North American economic, social, and cultural environment. It also develops mutual understanding and builds relationships between Canadian interns and those from the United States and Mexico. Peter Stephens, Managing Director of the Washington Center, explained, “the NAFTA Program levels the playing field for young professionals from Canada who train together with their peers from Mexico and the States - they learn how Washington, D.C. works and form professional networks.”

Students from a range of areas of study can take part in the program and are placed according to their interests. The students spend four days a week at their placements and spend the fifth day doing course work and attending such events as the Presidential Lecture Series, Congressional Speaker Series, Embassy briefings, and workshops.

The Government of New Brunswick will partially fund the Mount Allison internship in addition to internships for three students at the University of New Brunswick at Saint John (UNBSJ). The students from UNBSJ who will be participating in the program are Calogero Cipolla, Charlene Creamer, and Andrew Loomer.

Moving from New Brunswick’s capital of Fredericton to the capital of the United States will be just one of the exciting challenges Blake will face as an intern with The Washington Center.

For more information on The Washington Center please contact Peter J. Stephens at peters@twc.edu or visit their web site at http://www.twc.edu/

For further information please contact Dr. Rob Summerby-Murray, Mount Allison University, tel: 364-2326 (deanofsocialsciences@mta.ca).

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is an independent, nonprofit educational organization founded in 1975. Its mission is to prepare college and university students for civic leadership through experiential education. In this way, The Washington Center seeks to promote future leadership for the public, private and nonprofit sectors of society. It has served more than 35,000 students from close to 1,000 colleges and universities located in the United States and around the world.

Dates & Deadlines

Competitive deadline for Spring 2009 Semester, Winter and Spring Quarters and Postgraduate is September 29, 2008.

Early deadline range for Summer 2009 Term, Quarter and Postgraduate begins September 29, 2008.

Regular deadline for Spring 2009 Semester, Winter and Spring Quarters and Postgraduate is November 15, 2008.

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