Student Internship Spotlight: Ana Vergara

Ana Vergara is a second year Master of Human Rights student concentrating on public health. This summer, supported by a fellowship funded by the Human Rights Program, she interned as a Refugee Campaigns Intern at Amnesty International in Washington D.C. 

Human Rights Program (HRP): Tell us about where you interned this summer and what you worked on while you are there.

Ana Vergara (AV): I had the privilege of interning in Washington D.C. with Amnesty International, a worldwide, leading human rights organization. It was the best internship experience I've ever had and I gained so much more than I could have imagined. During my time there, I worked on a team with medical, law, and advocacy practitioners that focused on family separation issues. Of all the work I did, my highlight this summer was creating a toolkit for Hollywood producers to use to incorporate more immigrant and refugee voices into their work. This toolkit was even picked up by my all time favorite show, Jane the Virgin, and others! During the last few weeks of my internship my supervisor was flying around the US speaking to cast members from some of these shows about the issues that I wrote about! Using content I wrote!

HRP: What were a few major takeaways or lessons that you learned this summer through your internship?

AV: Amnesty International gave me a platform to create real change by allowing me to create advocacy tools for lobbyists to use when advocating against family separation. One of the most challenging pieces of my internship was learning to cultivate my voice in the advocacy field and learning all of the intricacies of that world. You can only experience and learn about these intricacies once you are fully immersed in it like I was able to be.

HRP: How was the internship related to your course of study, and how do you think it will help you in your career?

AV: In the spring of '18, I took Professor Barb Frey's Human Rights Advocacy class. Everything discussed and simulated in that class I dealt with at Amnesty. In fact, those experiences in class gave me a lot more credibility when speaking about family separation with other human rights professionals.

My favorite part about Amnesty International is that they believe in giving young people an opportunity to enter the human rights world and provide an unbelievable amount of support. I now have access to a worldwide network of human rights advocates who I can approach when it comes to any questions about my future career endeavors or human rights related issues. Now, I really feel I have a leg in the field and have tangible and thoughtful pieces of work to add to my portfolio.

*Responses have been edited for length and clarity.