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This summer has been incredibly exciting for me because I’ve had the most amazing opportunity to participate in an internship that closely aligns with my passions and academic areas of interest. At Â鶹AV, I study Political Science and History with a minor in Environment. I’m particularly passionate about International Relations, political history, post-conflict development, and European/Eurasian studies. My host organization, Post Conflict Research Center, is a grassroots establishment based in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. They are dedicated to fostering a culture of peace and preventing violent conflict in the Western Balkans by creating and supporting evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and innovative approaches to peace education, creative multimedia, conflict prevention, post-conflict research, human rights, and transitional justice. I was ecstatic to be offered this position because I feel that working internationally is a vital part of my IR education. Becoming familiar with the dynamics of post-conflict international relations and peacebuilding is something that I wanted to learn going into this experience, in the hopes of being able to apply it to a future career of diplomacy or international law.

As an intern, my colleagues and I mainly conducted research and wrote articles for our online publication Balkan Diskurs regarding regional conflict and peace development in the Balkans. My notable projects that I co-wrote and researched include articles about the Trnopolje and Keratem concentration camps, environmentalism and human rights in the Western Balkans, and a historical analysis on the cultural/diplomatic relations between Yugoslavia and Mexico in the 20th century. We also assisted in creating content for PCRC’s social platforms, which involved shooting and editing Tiktok videos and Instagram reels. We attended a selection of conferences, including in Prijedor and Srebrenica, as well as conferences regarding fact checking, misinformation, and unobstructed journalism. One of the hardest challenges I had to face during my time as an intern was the heavy nature of the content we were working on. I required a lot of mindfulness and self-reflection when researching mass atrocities or speaking to locals about their experience living in a conflict-ridden society. Especially at an event like the Srebrenica genocide memorial, at times it was very difficult to stay present and mentally strong.

This experience has been very informative for me, because not only has it continued to round out my international relations education I am receiving in the classroom, but it is also informing what I wish to do in life and the career I want to pursue. In addition to all our other activities, PCRC organized a series of visits to institutions during which we had the opportunity to learn and inquire about working at NGOs or in diplomacy – it was an excellent learning and networking experience. We visited the state court to learn about the ICTY (international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), the UN organization for migration, International Commission for Missing persons, office of the High Representative, and the EU delegation to BiH, to name a few. I am incredibly grateful for the Susan Casey Brown fund and the generosity of my funding. Thank you Mr. Garvin Brown, and the Â鶹AV International Experience Awards founders for making this opportunity possible. Because of the award I was also able to do regional traveling and learn more about social and political relationships all around the Balkans. I also was lucky enough to conduct an interview at the Mexican Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia for my article regarding Yu-Mex relations. Overall, my summer has been an invaluable experience, and I hope to continue pursuing a career in international relations and post-conflict development.

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