For the program I participated in, the internship component has both an accompanying class and the work experience itself. The class was held every other Thursday at the CEA CAPA Study Center, and in it the other internship students and I got to discuss our challenges and successes at our placements.

Good morning and happy Thursday! I woke up with a knot in my stomach ahead of my CEA CAPA mock interview at 11AM, which replaced my class this morning. This is an assignment my classmates and I are required to complete as part of the internship course. Luckily, the morning light coming through the window had a way of making everything feel a little more manageable. 

Finishing my mock interview, I hung up the call feeling genuinely good. I got some kind words on how I handled certain questions and honest feedback on what to sharpen, now just waiting on the follow-up email with the full breakdown. 

We also participated in workshops with different work-related topics such as job interview skills, how to react in certain situations at work, and CV workshops. Our professor was extremely helpful and clearly had great experience in the business world, with experience working as a recruiter, employee, and boss. I learned a lot about how to present myself and how to deal with hardships. 

Headed to my internship after my interview, and like every day, I walk past the Vatican. Still surreal every single time. Clear skies and temperatures in the 70s made the 30-minute walk equal parts enjoyable and hot. 

My internship itself was with a nonprofit organization based in Rome called Programma Integra. I was super excited about this internship because it relates to both my majors: Policy Studies and Citizenship and Civic Engagement (CCE). I got to see firsthand the intersection of social policy and community need, and how it succeeds or fails. It has helped me connect why policy matters to how to properly implement it. My CCE major is all about showing up for your community and building relationships across differences. Interning at Programma Integra means engaging with people in vulnerable situations and exercising civic responsibility in a direct-service form. I intern in the reception and housing department where I rotate between two locations and four projects. 

I love arriving each time to the building where I’m completing my internship. I still remember the first day I showed up, I was so scared I was in the wrong place, and now it’s my second home in Rome. On a typical day, for lunch time, there’s a bistro inside the courtyard of the building where I complete my internship, for days I don’t pack my lunch. But the real ritual is eating together in the garden when the weather holds with my supervisors. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day. 

My main location and project is Tetti Rossi - Una casa per le donne (“Tetti Rossi - a home for women”). Tetti Rossi is the name of the project which turned an old hostel into a co-housing unit for women between the ages of 18 and 50. The women pay low monthly rent as a symbolic contribution with the goal of eventually reaching autonomy with the help of the project. We support many different women: some are immigrants, some are international students, and some are struggling financially. This project is very close to my heart because I have met and formed connections with the women staying in the building.  

On this day, we visited the green space we’re turning into a community cleaning laboratory. We met with several stakeholders to figure out the logistics and get a shared input. We’re also planning to build a raised vegetable garden for the women in the co-housing. A little more life in a space that could really use it. 

Then we head back to the main garden to work outside. This is genuinely one of the best things about this internship: on a nice day, we bring our laptops downstairs and just work outside. It is a very nice environment and guarantees I won’t be stuck inside all day. 

I do many different tasks for the project including reorganizing the Google Drive, making sure we have the right documents for each guest, putting together presentations, sitting in on meetings, translating information from Italian to English and vice versa, and supporting the organization as best I can. An example of a specific project I worked on was a cleaning schedule for the women in the co-housing project. It turned out to be much more complex than I expected due to the many constraints I had to work around, but was a good learning experience. 

My best kept secret in Rome: this road. My maps used to tell me 40 minutes door-to-door walking. Once I started exploring different routes to work to learn the neighborhood, I turned down this street on a whim one day and shaved 10 minutes off the walk. I’ve taken it every day since. It’s a small thing, but it feels entirely mine. 

The second location has a mix of three projects: Housing First, Stazione di Posta (service centers for the homeless/vulnerable), and a homeless shelter. For these projects I offer operatorational support, follow meetings, help organize documents both physically and online, and participate in laboratory workshops for the guests. 

 On the walk home, as usual, I passed the Vatican just as the sun was setting and the lights were turning on. It was one of those beautiful moments and the perfect way to end my day. 

From this experience I have learned so much and am grateful to be able to share it with other people. I suggest that if an internship is available in your study abroad program, do it! It gives you endless life skills and experiences.