We often get questions on what it’s like to be an intern with the San Diego Diplomacy Council. As one of the preeminent local organizations working in international relations, an internship with us is coveted and competitive. We love giving our interns real-world experience, with breadth and depth of opportunity during their time with us.
One of our current interns, Allison Hjelle, shares her thoughts on how to make the most of an internship with the San Diego Diplomacy Council. If you’re a current intern, hopeful future intern, or just curious about what the opportunity entails, read on to learn about Allison’s perspective and suggestions.
There is a tremendous privilege and that is the acceptance into the San Diego Diplomacy internship program. If you’re reading this, you might have just found your way into this opportunity and are wondering just how to make the most of it.
It begins with carving out the time. Make sure that you can make it to the office at least weekly on Tuesdays to benefit from engaging with the amazing staff of the San Diego Diplomacy Council. These are movers and shakers in the San Diego Diplomacy Council and you have the tremendous opportunity to connect and be influenced by them! So, set up your life so you can be there weekly without exception. I personally hadn’t had this in place when I started and so struggled with juggling my ‘regular life’ with my internship hours. To have a truly immersive experience, you need those 15 hours to be staked out from regular life. I waited until the struggle caught up with me when I could have communicated in advance to my ‘regular life’ that those 15 hours would be considered sacred and unavailable to other demands.
Next, be ready and willing to get ‘dirty’ quickly with the work of the organization. Be prepared for a six-month commitment that flies by. For this reason, you will want to get into the work quickly and without hesitation. Ask for opportunities and vigorously take them on. I struggled with self-doubt and it looked like questioning myself and letting self-doubt lead to procrastination. If you find yourself in this bind, it is possible to give it voice to the amazing staff. You will be glad you did!
Then, practice communicating authentically with your internship supervisor. Tell them the truth about how you are doing with your assignments and how you are feeling about the entire process. You will learn that the skill of transparent communication will take you far in your ability to negotiate professional relationships. I waited until the mid-point of the internship to really open up about my self-doubt and personal conditions and how these interfaced with doing ‘the work’. While ‘the work’ is a process that you grow into, you can also dive into it fully and deeply from the beginning. I wish I could say that had been me but I held myself back. Don’t do that.
Finally, take the opportunity to be in a reflective process about diplomacy while you are in this container of diplomacy. Ask yourself meaningful questions along the journey of the internship like: How can I work with more diplomacy? How is my speech diplomatic? Am I engaging in diplomacy through my non-verbal communication? Am I living with integrity to the concept of diplomacy? I particularly love diplomacy to guide me on my journey with integrity. Being in the office on Tuesdays allowed me to be inspired by the staff and all the engagement they were taking in the name of peace building, inspired me to engage more fully in the relationships I have available to me. I’m not certain how you will become inspired – I’m only certain that you will.
By considering this advice, you open the door to a whole new diplomatic world and reap the benefits of a very impactful but quick experience. You will be glad you did!
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