Whether you opt to enroll in our Global Perspectives Program out of necessity or convenience, there are plenty of benefits to participating in a virtual internship. But don’t take it from us! Hear from past participants about their digital experiences and how their virtual internships impacted their professional goals.
Open Professional Doors
“I will tell you that this internship taught me the only real-world knowledge that I have in my tool belt, still, after two semesters of business classes. The internship should even be mandatory for international business majors. It is not just a temporary internship. I have made connections with people in other countries that I would have never had access to without this internship. I made trusted contacts in Uruguay, the country of my remote internship, that I could call on for assistance in transferring or traveling to their country. In my USAC internship, I was connected to the entrepreneurship center of the college of business at the largest private university in Uruguay. After my internship ended, I reached out to one of the companies I was working with, in collaboration with the university, and asked them for a position in their company beyond the internship. This was a successful request. After my internship with USAC ended, I joined this company as a community manager (a paid position). I was told by the Uruguay Resident Director at USAC that it was the first time he had seen this happen, an extended internship privately offered past the expiration of a USAC program. I helped manage this company as they launched from zero to a successful Kickstarter campaign that funded their product-launch over $30,000 in 30 days. I am very proud to say that the sales pitch that I presented to the company was actually the one that sold the most in the Kickstarter campaign!
This internship was a catalyst that started a domino effect of other greater opportunities I have received that have matured me, shown me what I like, what I don’t, and have shown me my worth. But still, nothing gave me more of an international education than the USAC internship last summer!” – Karen, Summer 2020 virtual intern for Universidad ORT Uruguay. Read her full story here.
Find Your Passion
“I realized something about myself: as long as I put in effort, I can create a lot of value for a company. Not only that, but I realized digital marketing was my calling. I have never enjoyed a job so much. In a single summer, the opportunity granted to me from USAC allowed me to test out the waters of a digital marketing career and inspired me to dive into the career without hesitation.
Although the scheduled period of my internship with The Italian Planners has ended, Claudia and I have continued working together. As a result, I have expanded my digital marketing skills and Claudia has given me a platform to apply any new skills that I have learned. Since interning with the Italian Planners, I have created two websites, written more than 30 blog posts and started my own blog that gives students the resources they need to successfully plan a Gap Year. Finally, this experience with The Italian Planners has stood out like a gold star on my resume. Employers love to see that I interned with an international business and that I was able to apply the hard skills associated with digital marketing.
This experience has landed me interviews with a wide variety of businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies to local startups. Every day, I am reminded of the incredible value my USAC virtual internship has given me. As a result, I now eagerly send my resume to potential employers and confidently share my experiences during my job interviews.” – Tyler, Summer 2020 virtual intern with The Italian Planners in Milan, Italy. Read his full story here.
Expand Your Network
“I had such an insightful experience with Socialab Uruguay that I have decided to study abroad this upcoming August 2021 in Montevideo. I voiced that I was coming to the executive team at Socialab and I was told I have a team waiting for me! Through this upcoming in-person internship opportunity, I will observe firsthand the link between social entrepreneurship and inclusive and sustainable development. I am interested in pursuing a career in development economics, so my exposure to the raw statistics within the Measurement Impact Report, future collaborations with the executive team (with backgrounds in economics, microfinance, graphic design, management, etc.) and interactions with the entrepreneurs will serve as fantastic resources and sneak peeks into the growing field of International Development.
As a final note, I would like to highlight that the networking opportunities were wonderful. My boss, Ale, was a mentor for me as she has a background in economics and micro-finance, two fields that interact with Development Economics. I asked her how she ended up running such a successful, growing social impact NGO. Additionally, I have contacts that have been helping me find organizations in Montevideo that work with Venezuelan refugees. My research focuses on human sex trafficking and statelessness of refugee and migrant populations as well as the role of human development theory as a method to address these urgent issues. I am curious to see if a future contest could focus on the inclusion of these populations that would generate an environment of solidarity and hope for these individuals.” – Taylor, Summer 2020 virtual intern with Sociolab in Montevideo, Uruguay. Read her full story here.
Discover New Cultures
“Though I was not able to gain any in-person experiences in Ghana, I was still able to learn about Ghanaian culture through my meetings with the Play and Learn Foundation. A cultural aspect that was difficult for me to navigate was the lack of deadlines. In fact, the program I was helping develop did not even have a target start date. It was stressful not knowing whether I was working too fast or too slow, but I was never criticized for my pace and eventually adjusted to this. My meetings also exhibited informalities in that my supervisor would dress very casually and be in and out of our meetings. I found that my organization was structured more lateral than hierarchical due to their leadership style, emphasizing consideration and sensitivity for everybody. This was very different from the style of corporate America, but I appreciated Ghana’s easygoing mentality.
I thoroughly enjoyed carrying out my internship through USAC and I would highly recommend virtual internship seekers to look into their Global Perspectives Virtual Internship Program. In addition to my supervisor at the Play and Learn Foundation, USAC provided me with a couple of other mentors who were readily available for any means of support. USAC also complemented my internship with weekly seminar sessions that allowed me to deepen my understanding of my professional and cultural experiences. These seminars were completed by other students engaging in various virtual internship programs, granting me even more peers offering assistance and encouragement. Though I did not gain the international experience I thought I would when I originally planned to study abroad, this virtual internship still brought professional and cultural insights that further developed my character.” – Megan, Summer 2020 virtual intern with the Play and Learn Foundation in Accra, Ghana. Read her full story here.
