Internships: International Studies
Student Profile: James Collins
An eye-opening experience in Africa
In looking for a summer internship, James Collins knew he wanted to go to a French-speaking country in Africa—to practice speaking French—and to work with refugees. “I wanted to see a country in a dire situation, to see how policies and foreign aid are implemented in such a place. Chad—a country dealing with poverty, corruption, terrorism, growing Islamist fundamentalism, and the influx of refugees from Darfur—is a grab-bag of Africa’s problems. So, I knew it would be a good place to explore,” said James, a graduate student in International Studies at Texas State. He contacted the U.S. State Department and was offered an internship in the American Embassy in Ndjamena, Chad.
“The embassy wanted an intern because they were desperately understaffed,” James continued. As a result, he was put to work doing things most interns aren’t usually allowed to do, including meeting with cabinet-level officials from Chad on subjects such as women and family issues, the environment, and anti-terrorism initiatives. He also translated a treaty into French for the Foreign Affairs Office and handled the arrangements for a visit from U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who came to see the refugees from Darfur.
“The biggest thing Chad did for me was truly open my eyes to the way people in this world live,” James said. I saw people in the worst of socioeconomic situations, really bottom. That opened my eyes to why policies matter and why issues like fair trade matter.
“I saw a child being sold in a market, a father selling his daughter,” he continued. “I didn’t think things like that happened anymore. And I saw soldiers beat a man to death with rifles. To see such human rights abuses profoundly affected me,” said James, who is considering joining the Peace Corps in Africa after graduation. He then hopes to go to law school and to work with a human rights or foreign policy group.
“I also met people who had never seen a fair-skinned person, and that surprised me,” he continued, adding, “I was treated very hospitably. People invited me for dinner all the time, and I never encountered anti-Americanism. Chad was a great experience; I’d go back in a heartbeat.”
An eye-opening experience in Africa
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In looking for a summer internship, James Collins knew he wanted to go to a French-speaking country in Africa—to practice speaking French—and to work with refugees. “I wanted to see a country in a dire situation, to see how policies and foreign aid are implemented in such a place. Chad—a country dealing with poverty, corruption, terrorism, growing Islamist fundamentalism, and the influx of refugees from Darfur—is a grab-bag of Africa’s problems. So, I knew it would be a good place to explore,” said James, a graduate student in International Studies at Texas State. He contacted the U.S. State Department and was offered an internship in the American Embassy in Ndjamena, Chad. “The embassy wanted an intern because they were desperately understaffed,” James continued. As a result, he was put to work doing things most interns aren’t usually allowed to do, including meeting with cabinet-level officials from Chad on subjects such as women and family issues, the environment, and anti-terrorism initiatives. He also translated a treaty into French for the Foreign Affairs Office and handled the arrangements for a visit from U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who came to see the refugees from Darfur.
“The biggest thing Chad did for me was truly open my eyes to the way people in this world live,” James said. I saw people in the worst of socioeconomic situations, really bottom. That opened my eyes to why policies matter and why issues like fair trade matter.
“I saw a child being sold in a market, a father selling his daughter,” he continued. “I didn’t think things like that happened anymore. And I saw soldiers beat a man to death with rifles. To see such human rights abuses profoundly affected me,” said James, who is considering joining the Peace Corps in Africa after graduation. He then hopes to go to law school and to work with a human rights or foreign policy group.
“I also met people who had never seen a fair-skinned person, and that surprised me,” he continued, adding, “I was treated very hospitably. People invited me for dinner all the time, and I never encountered anti-Americanism. Chad was a great experience; I’d go back in a heartbeat.”