Renn Sterns, ILGA World
Renn is a DWA major from Montana, who is also on Oxy’s Cross Country and Track teams. He is interning with the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA World). Early this Fall, he focused on advocacy work at the UN’s Summit of the Future. Renn is excited to regularly attend ECOSOC and UNGA ThirdCommittee meetings (which cover social, cultural, humanitarian, and human rights issues) to monitor proceedings related to rights connected to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics and report back to ILGA World’s headquarters in Geneva. He will also be helping to coordinate the ILGA World’s bi-annual World Conference in South Africa. Renn is looking forward to experiencing NYC in its fall foliage — and around Christmas!
A highlight of my experience interning with ILGA World has been the week where many of the UNGA 79 side events we were sponsoring took place. While it was a bit of a logistical whirlwind, the event planning and coordination with Member States and other NGOs I had been working on for months finally came together into three incredible events in the UN. My favorite was our event on the cultural right of LGBTI persons to participate in sport that centered the Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights Alexandra Xanthaki's recent report on the cultural right to sport, giving us the opportunity to bring together rights-holders and human rights experts with States and UN officials!”
ILGA World
Sofia Guerrero Gonzalez, Noor Network
Sofia is a sociology major with a double minor in Latino/a & Latin American Studies and Studio Art— interning at the Noor Network (NGO). Noor is a feminist organization that uses intersectionality internationally to tackle anti-rights agents and to work on environmental issues at UNGA meetings. She is excited to work and do research with Noor on increasingly prominent violent extremism and to attend events to report back findings on key issues. She is also interested in learning more about the intersectionality of similarities and differences in human rights issues across nations. An interesting fact about Sofia is that she is a double black belt in Kung Fu and Eskrima.
The most meaningful experience that this program has brought me is being able to explore diplomacy and international affairs as a non-DWA major. My cohort has been exceptionally welcoming and supportive and I have learned a lot about the UN in and out of class, their perspectives have helped me in ways that even relate back to my major (sociology). An example that has stuck with me is exploring the ways that civil society and activists have a key role in how to make the UN a successful tool for peacemaking in conflicts."
Noor Network
Bernadette Robinson, UK Misson
Bernadette is a Diplomacy and World Affairs (DWA) major and a Black Studies and Japanese double minor. She is interning at the UK Mission to the UN this fall, working on their GA and human rights team. Most of her job will include working on resolutions within the Third Committee, which addresses social, humanitarian, and cultural issues. Bernadette’s role will primarily involve writing reports, taking notes during negotiations, and organizing events with the human rights team. The resolutions she is focusing on revolve around violence against women, the death penalty, and the Durban Declaration, which is the UN blueprint to combat racism. Outside her internship, she is excited to explore all the different restaurants, museums, and events New York has to offer!
Charlie Caver, UK Misson
Charlie is working at the UK Mission, specifically with the communications team. His team’s work consists of publishing official statements by UK permanent representatives and high-ranking officials in the UN to their website, creating social media posts explaining policy positions, and working to maintain relationships with both UK-based and international press. He enjoys exploring NYC and watching soccer on the weekends (specifically Arsenal FC)! One of his most interesting experiences so far has been attending a Security Council meeting on the UN assistance mission to Afghanistan. Overall, Charlie’s placement has given him valuable insight into how a UN country's mission operates. He was especially excited to assist during the UNGA High-Level Week and Summit of the Future!
Connor McConnell, UNDP
Connor is a senior who is double majoring in Economics and DWA. He is interested in consulting, non-profit management, program development, and health, particularly in the creative and humanitarian sectors. Before his time at the United Development Program, Connor worked in strategic consulting, communications, and fundraising, and supported The Virgil Abloh Foundation, the Planned Parenthood Federation, the Global Fund, AgriCorps, and many more NGOs. Connor has also led the development of a fundraising strategy for “The RainCollective,” an anti-human-trafficking organization. In his free time, Connor likes to play guitar, go to concerts, and spend time outdoors!
Dalilah Buffalo, IPPF
Dalilah is a DWA major and is interning at the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) this fall. As a part of the IPPF UN Liaison team, she will be monitoring Third Committee UN General Assembly resolutions that address the empowerment of women and girls, gender-based violence, youth and adolescent engagement, and the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. Dalilah will also assist with efforts to bolster the engagement of IPPF membership associations to ensure their voices and experiences are echoed in all advocacy spaces. She is excited to work with IPPF and broaden her understanding of civil society engagement within the UN! A fun fact about Dalilah is that she loves pit bulls and running into them on the streets of New York!
Dennis Isaak, UNHCR
Dennis is currently interning with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an organization dedicated to protecting and supporting refugees, stateless individuals, forcibly displaced communities, and internally displaced persons. His role involves reporting on the General Assembly (GA) during High-Level Week for the Europe and West Africa regions, covering the GA Third Committee, and closely monitoring negotiations between GA Third Committee states and UNHCR on an omnibus Resolution. Dennis is grateful for this incredible experience of working with such a welcoming and dedicated team and is excited for what’s to come in the rest of his internship.
Elham Nasratullah, GPPAC
Elham is interning at the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). His site is a member-led network of civil society organizations, and its work centers around Peace and Security. His projects include research and monitoring of Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS)- and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)-related developments within the UN. One of Elham’s other projects includes writing a report on the proposals put forth by the member states on the restructuring of the International Financial Architecture (IFA). As part of this work, he seeks to discover recommendations that are based on the interests of local peace-builders within the new IFA. An avid fan of NYC and its food, Elham’s favorite halal cart food is a chicken and lamb combo over rice.
Jacob Whitney, UK Mission
Jacob is a DWA major interning with the UK Mission to the United Nations’ Management, Finance, and Reform team. Jacob is excited to contribute to the team’s work and gain insight into its role at the Mission and the UN. Through his studies and personal pursuits, Jacob has developed a keen interest in multilateral diplomacy's role in preventing armed conflict and addressing some of its threat multipliers, such as a global rise in nationalism. Jacob especially looks forward to attending the UNGA’s Fifth Committee meetings and learning how member states negotiate budget resolutions to fund everything from the UN Secretariat’s pension fund to critical peacekeeping operations around the world. He also looks forward to collecting any quality chocolate along the way.
Lauren Chin, UNFPA
Lauren is interning at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Gender and Human Rights Branch. Lauren works on various issues of gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a specific focus on gender-based violence. Her semester will conclude with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence global campaign, where she will be hosting events discussing the historical roots of gender-based violence, sexual violence during conflict, and femicide. She also works on the UN System-Wide Action Plan, which promotes gender mainstreaming across UNwork. Lauren has loved being in the city and spending time in Central Park.
Matthew Vickers, UN Anti-Racism Office
Matthew is a DWA major in the UN Secretariat’s Anti-Racism Office (ARO). Throughout his time studying human rights in the DWA department and participating in campus organizing, Matthew has always been interested in human rights, social movements, and global governance. He is particularly interested in partnership and research arms of the United Nations systems, entrenching and solidifying the relationship between civil society and the Organization to create a truly global forum for all peoples and nationalities. At the Anti-Racism Office, Matthew is currently working on developing a glossary of terms, working on UN rejuvenation from an anti-racist perspective, and contributing to developing partnerships to advance the cause of anti-racism across the globe.
Molly Sparrow, IPPF
Molly is a DWA major and Critical Theory and Social Justice minor interning with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Through her research and Oxy courses, Molly has developed a fascination with how norms are produced and spread, and especially the role conspiracy theories play in shaping multilateralism. Molly works closely with the Opposition Movements Team at IPPF to monitor backlashes to sexual and reproductive health and rights during UNGA sessions. Molly is using this information to develop a comprehensive map of opposition coalitions and their rhetoric. As an amateur powerlifter, you can often catch Molly doing her DWA readings between sets to keep up with her independent and school research!
Nate Lundstrom, Costa Rican Mission
Nate is a DWA major interning at the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations this semester. His research interests are in the intersections of global migrations, economic and social rights, and development. Working primarily on speechwriting for the Costa Rican Ambassador, he is excited to learn more about policy-making and effective communication strategies for achieving social change in the UN system. He is eagerly looking ahead to accompanying the Ambassador to General Assembly discussions on the future of peace and security. When outside of the General Assembly, you can find Nate on the pitch for Vibes FC — a soccer team of hooligans-turned-adults — based in New York City.
Peter Vartanian, Costa Rican Mission
Peter, who hails from the Austrian Alps, is a DWA major working with the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations. Under both the Chair of the First Committee and the Sixth Committee's Working Group on Universal Jurisdiction, he supports diplomatic initiatives related to international security, as well as the advancement of global legal frameworks and regulatory cooperation. Peter assists in second-chairing meetings, participating in informal consultations, and engaging with the International Law Commission to further Costa Rica's multilateral objectives. Beyond this work, Peter has developed an encyclopedic knowledge of New York City's best caffeine hideouts and tries one new energy drink each week.
Raja Bella Hicks, UK Misson
Raja is a DWA major from Salt Lake City, Utah. As the Political Section intern at the UK Mission to the United Nations, she has supported bilateral requests, tracked multilateral debates, and participated in negotiations. Raja has helped organize ministerial-level events on various topics, including Women, Peace, and Security in Sudan and Inclusive Recovery in Ukraine. This internship has given her insight into how peace and security intersects sustainable development, a deep interest of hers. When Raja is not in the Security Council, she can be found trying new foods and exploring the different areas of New York. A fun fact about her is that she was recently involved in a wild camel chase in Cairo.
Will Petersen, UNDP
Will is interning at the United Nations Development Programme in the HIV and Health Department this semester. His work focuses on two main areas: drug policy reform and “LGBTI inclusion” in the country and UN analysis of data, development and human rights. He has been involved in organizing summits on drug reform, revising UNDP’s policy positions, and coordinating guest speakers from UN member states to share their perspectives on global policy shifts. On the LGBTI inclusion side, he is collaborating with Outright International (an NGO) to help develop a new LGBTI Inclusion Index to measure how countries address homophobia worldwide. Outside of work, Will has been making the most of his time in New York — he has already tried 19 new restaurants since moving here!
