Post on 01-Apr-2016
description
1
President’s Internship Program
Summer Class of 2014
Ruben Aguero – Summer 2014
“ ”
Position: President’s Intern for Youth Engagement
Country of Origin: Paraguay
Institution: The College of Wooster (Ohio)
Major: Economics
Special Mention: Former Youth Ambassador and AYLP Facilitator
My name is Rubén Aguero and I am 19 years old. I am a President's Intern, in
the Youth Engagement Team, and I would like to introduce myself to you. I was
born and grew up in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. Living in the Tri-border area
(Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay) is one of the reasons of why I like to immerse
myself in and understand other cultures. I studied in a Lebanese Muslim school
for 13 years, and that helped me become a polyglot; apart from speaking at
home in Spanish and Guarani, the Paraguayan national indigenous language, I
speak Arabic, English, French and Portuguese.
All of these experiences gave me the tools to implement a
community service project back in Paraguay, which focused on the
restoration of public spaces and the realization of community
festivals for greater involvement in the community.
I am currently a rising sophomore at The College of
Wooster, OH, where I plan to major in Economics,
and hopefully go back to Paraguay and continue
working on economic development and social
justice. I say continue because I already started this
by volunteering in NGOs back home, doing anything
I could to help people, especially youth. I worked in
summer camps, taught ESL, and music; I also
helped in the General Elections and in proposing the
FONACIDE law, which increased funds for public
education and infrastructure. My story with Partners
begins in 2011, when I participated in the Youth
Ambassadors (YA) Program. As a YA, I had the
opportunity to increase my global IQ by learning
about community service and people's experiences; I
still find it incredible that Partners helped me find
the relation between these two personal interests. I
came to DC for a week, visited Partners’ office (and I
am glad I am back), and met with other YAs from
Latin America; I lived in Goodland, Kansas with a
host family, and had a typical youth life: attended
high school, made great friends, went to
Homecoming and played sports. I also learned
about community organizations and volunteered, of
course. All of these experiences gave me the tools
to implement a community service project back in
Paraguay, which focused on the restoration of
public spaces and the realization of community
festivals for greater involvement of the community.
The awesome experience I had helped me stay
committed with Partners. I helped organize the
American Youth Leadership Program in my
hometown, and accompanied the program
participants during their stay. As a Youth
Engagement Intern, I will have the opportunity to
work on this and more programs, which will help me
grow and develop professionally as well as
personally. I hope I will contribute my experience
and capacities to the organization and also increase
my network with people involved in international
development.
Danielle Martin – Summer 2014
“ ”
Position: President’s Intern for Leadership Exchanges
Country of Origin: United States
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Major: Business Management & Spanish (Bachelor’s Degree)
Special Mention: Studied abroad in Costa Rica
My name is Danielle Martin, and I'll be the International Business
Fellows Intern. I grew up in a small town called Marshfield, Wisconsin
(center of the state) for my entire life before moving to Eau Claire (about
an hour away from the Twin Cities) to attend college. I just graduate this
spring from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire with a double major
in Business Management and Spanish for Business with a minor in
International Business. I have plans to continue my education in the
upcoming year or two by pursing a master’s degree in International
Relations. Some of the graduate schools I have been researching and
applying to are based both here in the states and abroad. If you have any
recommendations on excellent schools here or overseas, I’d love to sit
and chat with you!
I believe that through the tools and resources that I have been
given through Partners of the Americas, I will be able to reach out
and have a positive impact on others here at home, and abroad.
My main passion throughout college has been my
love of traveling and experiencing new places!
Some of the countries I have visited during my
travels include Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama,
Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Switzerland,
Ireland, and many more.
While growing up my family always has
encouraged me to learn Spanish as a second
language. This is partially due to the fact that my
mother spent time in Spain while in college, and
started teaching me Spanish very early on.
Thankfully I have had the opportunity to study
abroad twice, once in Costa Rica and another
time in Italy. Costa Rica now holds a special
place in my heart, especially for my Familia Tica.
My host family abroad spoke little to no English,
so it really pushed me to obtain fluency and a
better understanding of the language. During my
time overseas I also spent two weeks living with
the BriBri tribe, an indigenous tribal group of
Costa Rica.
It was amazing to see how simple these people were
living, and be able to experience their culture first
hand. In my more recent study abroad last summer in
Italy, I had a wonderful introduction to the arts, history,
and foods and wines of the region. I spent my entire
summer traveling and backpacking throughout Europe
to continue my exploration of different cultures. My true
passion throughout my college career has really been
leadership and connecting it with culture. I participated
in an organization on campus called AIESEC, which
connects students with internships abroad. I enjoy
helping others become connected and being able to set
them up with opportunities to travel, similar to what I
have had the opportunity to do. I believe that through
the tools and resources that I have been given through
Partners of the Americas, I will be able to reach out and
have a positive impact on others here at home, and
abroad. I look forward to working and getting to know
all of you over this summer. I love talking and sharing
travel stories and getting to know new people, so if any
of you would like to grab lunch/coffee let me know.
Carlos Saavedra – Summer 2014
“ ”
Position: President’s Intern for Outreach & Communications, Executive Office
Country of Origin: Colombia
Institution: SUNY Geneseo
Major: International Relations, (Bachelor’s Degree Received)
Special Mention: Originally from Colombia, studied abroad and/or traveled to
Argentina, Portugal, South Africa, Senegal, and Mexico
My name is Carlos S. Saavedra and I’m originally from Colombia. I grew up in Albany,
NY and went to school at SUNY Geneseo. I majored in international relations and
have traveled across several seas. I received my bachelor’s degree in December and
aspire to continue my education within the next few years. Some hobbies of mine
include watching way too many movies, playing soccer, and of course international
travel. Among some of the places I have visited are South Africa, Senegal, France,
Spain, the Netherlands, Argentina, and of course Colombia. My travels have brought
me to different corners of the world, even more so having both Spanish and English
under my belt.
Having seen the ramifications of poverty, social inequity, and lack
of education in a transnational context, I have committed myself to
creating positive change and productive dialogue in order to combat
these plagues.
Growing up for me was an interesting experience.
Besides the fact that from a very young age any
reference point of identity was somewhat hazy in
terms of nationality, my father also convinced me
that he spoke no English until I was about 12 years
old. Directly resulting in a refusal to speak to him for
a few days as well as about five years later seeing
the incredible doors that had been swung wide open
by my bilingual ability. Born in Armenia, Colombia a
small city in the Andean valley region of the
Colombian coffee lands, I still appreciate the smell
of fresh air breezing through open windows. On the
flipside, my heart seems to line up with the hustle
and bustle of the major cities that have impacted my
life. An easy first being New York City followed by
several other favorites including Buenos Aires,
Ciudad de Mexico, and Washington D.C.
I thoroughly enjoy a good cup of coffee and seem
to be more talkative than most. Some attribute my
academic and young professional decisions to this
characteristic, I say it is just the “paisa” in me.
(“Paisa” being the term that Colombians use to identify
individuals from my specific region of the country). My
ambitions run far and deep into the incredibly
expansive community that is international development
and community leadership. Having seen the
ramifications of poverty, social inequity, and lack of
education in a transnational context, I have committed
myself to creating positive change and productive
dialogue in order to combat these plagues. With the
tools being given to me at Partners of the Americas, I
hope to make that commitment a reality of which I will
inspire others to take on as well. On a lighter note, the
passion for soccer runs through my veins. My ambitions
of becoming the next Pele were shot down several years
ago after tearing my ACL. I had surgery on my knee
about 5 years ago and things just have never been the
same. Although I do watch soccer games every chance I
get and with the World Cup coming up in Brazil, intend
to fully support Colombia. ¡Mi tierra querida!
Connor Hunter-Kysor – Summer 2014
“ ”
Position: President’s Intern for the Legislative Fellow’s Program
Country of Origin: United States
Institution: Juniata College (PA)
Major: Mathematics
Special Mention: Rotary International Volunteer in Chile
My name is Connor Hunter-Kysor and I will be interning with the
Legislative Fellows Program working under Martin Rozenberg and Penelope
Kim. I hail from a rural area located in central Pennsylvania. I spent the
first 15 years of my life in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, which is a town 45
minutes south of State College, PA, where the Pennsylvania State
University is found. After completing my first year of high school, I applied
to become a Rotary Youth Exchange Student through the Rotary
International Organization and was sent to Santiago, Chile, to fulfill my
duties. During my stay, I was given the opportunity to further my studies in
Easter Island, where I stayed for three weeks to explore and help complete
development projects implemented through my foreign Rotary Club in
Chile.
With this education, I feel that I will be able to
provide healthcare to persons in the United States and
hopefully move my work into Central and South
America.
Returning from my study abroad, I founded a
local Interact Club within my high school,
which is the equivalent to Rotary, but for
high school and middle school students to
be introduced to international service. I
currently attend Juniata College in
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, as a rising third
year student pursuing a degree in
Mathematics with minors in Economics and
International Studies. I discovered Partners
of the Americas through a connection with a
staff member at my college, JoAnn Wallace,
who retired a number of years ago, but
assisted me in finding this organization as
she knew I was enthusiastic about
developing my professional network and skills. I
hope to gain the necessary traits to continue my
international education to apply them to eventually
become an English teaching assistant in Brazil
through the Fulbright Scholarship program.
Tentatively, I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree,
but I hope to receive my Masters of Public Health
and eventually a Ph.D. in Biostatistics with an
emphasis in Epidemiology. With this education, I
feel that I will be able to provide healthcare to
persons in the United States and hopefully move
my work into Central and South America. If you
have any questions, I am more than happy to
discuss them with you as I am a pretty sociable
person and I can network with anybody!
Enrique Romero – Summer 2014
“ ”
Position: President’s Intern for Program Engagement & Board
Governance, Executive Office
Country of Origin: United States
Institution: Grinnell College (Iowa)
Major: Sociology and Political Science
Special Mention: Visited Partners last fall during an internship with the Mexican Cultural Institute
My name is Enrique Romero. I am a 21-year-old rising fourth year at
Grinnell College (in Grinnell, Iowa). I am double majoring in Sociology and
Political Science with an informal minor in Psychology. My story is quite
long, but the short version follows. I was born in Los Angeles, California. I
lived in Orlando, Florida, for seven years. Then I moved to Tapachula,
Chiapas (Mexico), where I resided for three years. Subsequently, I moved to
Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico), where I spent another three years.
I know the skills I learn while working at and with Partners of
the Americas will carry onto my future endeavors. I am an open
book – that is, I am ready to learn.
Afterwards, I moved to San Antonio, Texas, where I
spent three years before I moved to Iowa for college.
I have moved around so much because my dad is a
Consul for the Mexican government. He is from
Michoacán, and my mother is from Puebla. Having
been raised by Mexican parents –who prohibited
English in the house- and spending more than half
of my teen years growing up in Mexico, I identify
strongly as Mexican. I love: working out, eating
healthy, and reading about human behavior and
economics. My one true passion is soccer. After
college, I hope to participate in Teach for America;
and, afterwards, hopefully enter law school or
possibly a soon-to-be-decided graduate program.
During my two-month internship at Partners, I hope to
learn as much as I can: personal and professional skills
(i.e. networking, grant writing, management, leadership
etc.), knowledge about other countries, and a deeper
understanding of Partners. I know that the skills I learn
while working at and with Partners will carry onto my
future endeavors. I am an open book – that is, I am
ready to learn. My curiosity has led me to this desk and
I hope that you take the time to teach me something:
anything you like!
Please feel free to talk to me at any time, in any
language. Also feel free to ask for help – I hope I can
be a resource and teach as much as I will learn from
you.
Daniela Zuluaga V. – Summer 2014
“ ”
Position: Graphic Design,
Communications
Country of Origin: Colombia
Institution: EAFIT (Medellín, CO)
Major: Product Design Engineering
Special Mention: Has a close connection to the Partner’s Antioquia
Chapter through a previous Legislative Fellow.
I'm from Medellin, Colombia and I am 22 years old. My nickname is DanZuVel. Dan
means Daniela; Zu means Zuluaga, my father’s last name, from whom I inherited my
sense of responsibility, professionalism and leadership. As well as Vel from Velez, my
mother’s last name, from whom I inherited my passion and creativity. I am a student
about to graduate in engineering product design from the University of EAFIT. I have
always drawn from my creativity and design ability to grow and be able to serve in all
areas to the people who need it.
This experience will open paths that I want to go where things
are simple, accurate and can be used to achieve positive change in
my hometown as well as all across the globe. Growing as a person
and as a professional to be someone useful to the world.
As I mentioned I have a passion to create, design and
simultaneously serve while helping anyone who needs it.
Regardless I understand the best way to do this is first I
have to grow in many ways, both personally and
professionally, by learning from each experience
incorporating different cultures.
In my interest to help and serve, I have worked with
multiple foundations and groups in my hometown.
Specifically with an organization called Soñar Despierto
and the staff at my university as part of a program called
Giant. A program centered on the idea of social design
and its implications. In all these experiences I realized
that both serving and helping are my passions. It is
something I enjoy and fulfills me as a person. For all
these reasons I decided to look for an internship in the
social field which has brought me this far and will
continue to do so. I also belong to a group rescue squad
in my town and I have taught and practiced Kung Fu for
many years. This being a hobby that demands much
dedication and discipline. Characteristics of which I
intend to apply on this journey as part of the Partners of
the Americas intern team.
During my career I have developed several projects.
Some of them have to do with the design of social
media. Design work that grabs my attention is
anything that has to do with the way things are
presented and the communications thus involved.
When creating products or programs with this
internship I will grow much more in these areas and
work hand in hand with knowledgeable people who
and are able to teach it just as well.
I know that everything happens for a reason and those
who come into our lives will forever teach us
something. You’re welcome to show me what you want,
I'll do my best to teach you something new and we will
have fun doing it!