Name: Fabiola Martinez
Class Year: 2023
Major: International Studies and Psychology
Hometown: Aregua, Paraguay
Internship Organization: Casa Refugiados
Job Title: Intercultural Promoter
Location: Mexico City (remote)
Casa Refugiados is a non-profit organization located in Mexico City that operates with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The organizations mission is to promote the integration of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, and migrants into a new society by encouraging respectful and supportive environments, within the framework of the dissemination of a culture of peace based in respect for human rights and the environment. As an intercultural promoter intern, my main project involves interviewing people who identified themselves as cultural promoters in the Mexican society. The people I interview are migrants and refugees who have been in Mexico for some time now and their testimonies will be added to a manual that is still in progress. I am also part of smaller projects organized by my fellow interns and participate in general weekly meetings with the team. These projects involve workshops we give and participate in that simulate what people on the move go through when they cross the borders.
I applied for this internship after I did an extensive search about so many organizations and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do this summer. I found out about Casa Refugiados through an internship info session organized by the Bi-Co; the moment I saw the presentation about Casa Refugiados I was so interested in it. I was taking a class called Migrants, Refugees, and Life Across Borders'' this spring and that made me even more interested in doing an internship with Casa. I have always been curious to learn about how imaginary lines like borders can affect people who were trying to cross it, and I knew this internship would be the perfect match for me.
Having this experience online has definitely been a little challenging because most of the work tends to be very independent, which can sometimes be hard when trying to take initiative or make a start. Taking advantage of this type of work is tricky, especially when working with such vulnerable groups of people and delicate topics. However, one of my favorite things about this internship has been that I have learned to do things on my own due to the supportive environment created by my team. I am confident I can present my work to my supervisor and get feedback that will only improve what I have done, and be corrected on things I did or said wrong without feeling like I have messed up. I believe my work with Casa Refugiados will have a positive end, but I also plan to stay in contact after it is officially over.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.