Student Testimonials

The major highlight of my summer was the people. I met people with whom I related to on so many levels; with whom I shared wonderful experiences and learned a lot from. I visited as much of Uganda as I could. I explored Ugandan cuisine; the matoke, the rolex, the nut soup, etc. Every last Friday of the month was "Fire Friday" at work: an end of month Party with amazing ambience and entertainment.

I chose Uganda on a whim. I told myself to go on explore the world. I have to admit my first three weeks in Uganda were hard. The cultural shock, the lack of immediate necessities like a refrigerator or internet left me frustrated. But I got to adapt to a different environment and sort of rid myself of my nagging and over privileged tendencies. Moreover, I met amazing people who have collectively left a lasting impact on me. It was truly fascinating. From work to the adventures I had with the other interns both form Uganda and abroad. Work taught me a lot about professionalism and the functioning of the workspace in an African setting. As I venture into the international business scene, this was a very imperative step. I'll be more assertive, proactive and think outside the box thanks to the lessons learned from Fireworks advertising company.

This summer, I was able to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams of working with an NGO in Uganda. The NGO I worked for is called Citizens' Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU). The main goal of CCEDU is to promote and advocate for better governance in Uganda. In order to achieve their goal, CCEDU runs voter education programs, lobbies the government to pass electoral reforms, and observes various types of elections. During my internship, I was given a wide variety of tasks. I co-wrote a paper to lobby Parliament, attended many functions for their 2016 presidential election observation effort, and helped find a suitable advertising firm for their next voter education campaign. I also helped write the 2016 pre-election report, which was a 100 page document that outlined the problems that may be present during the 2016 elections. The most exciting task I completed was writing the research proposal for the first voter apathy study to ever be conducted in Uganda. I was really happy that CCEDU trusted me enough to take on the main responsibility for such an important project.

My internship with CCEDU was a fantastic experience. I learned far more about Uganda's government and electoral system than I could ever learn from a book. My co-workers (and all the other Ugandans I interacted with) helped me see their government in an entirely new light. Although there were many challenging aspects, such as a slow work pace and other cultural differences, I was able to grow from those experiences as well. I have always wanted to work with an NGO in Uganda, so I am unbelievably grateful that I was able to be a part of one (albeit for a short period of time). I enjoyed my internship enough to say that I would be willing to go back in the future. In fact, I may go back next summer to help carry out the field work for the voter apathy study. Overall, my internship with CCEDU helped me grow as a person and realize that I definitely want to pursue a career involving human rights and governance issues. 

One of the many things that surprised me upon my arrival to Pune was the proximity of city's poverty stricken regions to its industrial hub. On one side of the road is an imposing span of office buildings and factories that continues for miles, assembling everything from steam boilers to pressure gauges. On the other side, a mere few hundred metres away, a large collection of shanty houses lies in stark contrast to the nearby manufacturing facilities.

It is heartwarming to see that this disparity isn’t ignored by the companies in the area. In response to the lack of affordable healthcare available, my employer, Forbes Marshall, opened a fully equipped medical centre on it’s grounds open to anyone, where treatment will cost a patient only 2 Rupees (about 3 cents). 

In terms of office work, hours in India are longer, meetings are much more lively, and the food in the cafeteria is way more spicy! In Pune, the office floor is alive with the hum of chatter between co-workers - intermittently punctuated by a loud siren that signals the end of shift for the factory workers next door. 

Working in India has really opened my eyes to the cultural differences that exist in and out of the workplace from country to country.

I came into the Department of Sports medicine knowing little about sports, sports injuries, and even thought I was quite the expert at weightlifting. That all changed very quickly. In a short two months, I witnessed live orthopedic surgery, helped with mouse surgery, participated in isokinetic experiments, trained with professional golfers using vibration equipment, visited Olympic training facilities, learned about athletic taping and how to utilize it, explored the vibrant scene of Taiwanese community health, and most personally for me, I unlearned all my weightlifting techniques and learned again from scratch.

These two months have been a humbling experience, teaching me not only an enormous amount of technical material in regards to sports injuries and community health but also an important skill -- the ability to be wrong, a readiness let go of what I thought I knew and whole-heartily receive information, stories, and experiences. I now feel Taiwan is very much a part of me. 

Participating in the Global Leadership Program at blueEnergy Nicaragua this summer was a great opportunity for me to grow academically and personally.

My project was to create and analyze a market study of ecostoves in urban neighborhoods in Bluefields, Nicaragua. In Bluefields, the majority of families use open fire charcoal stoves that release smoke that is harmful to the family’s health and the environment. My role in addressing this complicated issue was to understand the social and technical aspects of cookstoves in this area so that blueEnergy can provide families with the models of ecostoves that are best suited for the communities they are working in. In this process, I conducted and analyzed about 80 surveys of Nicaraguan families in Bluefields to understand their current cooking behavior, health, and economic situation and characterize their interest and willingness to pay for the ecostoves. The skills I learned such as need-finding, designing and implementing surveys, cross-cultural communication, statistical analysis, and market analysis, will be useful as I continue to seek and contribute to projects with impact across the world.

The internship also offered me opportunities to venture out of my comfort zone and grow through new experiences and reflections. Whether I was learning about ecostoves and solar energy, spontaneously participating in soccer and meringue dancing, or exploring the communities in the area, my experiences this summer were academically, culturally, and personally enriching.

I was working in an all-Japanese corporate environment with a group of designers from whom I learned, who helped me grow both personally and in the industry, and with whom I was able to experience Japan. My project was developing a next-generation automotive concept cockpit design. I focused on designing an interface and physical mechanism. At the end of the summer, I presented my designs in Japanese to the design center and executive team.

Additionally, I was able to travel and explore the beautiful and bustling city. I bought an unlimited pass for a famous dance studio in Shibuya, where I took classes from world-renowned choreographers that I have admired for years. I explored National Gardens, Tokyo Disneyland, took meditation and tea ceremony classes.

It was very honestly a transformative experience, and established a connection with Japan for me that I know will stay with me for the rest of my life.

During my eight weeks in Rio de Janeiro, I worked on two fascinating projects in the D’Or Institute.

I first became involved in a research project called EmoCode, investigating the link between music and emotion. We all experience emotions while listening to music, but are these music-evoked emotions analogs of naturally occurring emotions? For example, I can listen to a sad piece of music, perceive that the music itself is conveying sad emotions, but actually be feeling a pleasure response to an enjoyed stimulus. Using fMRI and EEG, the project hopes to map the neural correlates of various music-evoked emotions and compare them to known regions of activation associated with the corresponding natural emotions. My work on this project has laid a great foundation for my planned project with the Honors in the Arts program this coming year.

Unexpectedly, I was also introduced to a neuropsychologist who works with psychopathy at the D’Or Institute. He had just begun working with a patient who was reportedly “cured” of psychopathy after surviving a gunshot to the head. This rare case of salutary changes following frontal lobe damage gave us the opportunity to explore regions of the frontal cortex related to pro-social behaviors. I helped interview the patient and write up a case report, which should be published soon. After this case, I have cultivated an interest in neuropsychology, and am thinking about pursuing it in medical school. 

My experience was incredibly enriching both culturally and intellectually. I have fallen in love with Brazilian music and the soft sounds of sung Portuguese. I also met some of the warmest, kindest people I have ever known. My trip has inspired me to search for more opportunities to return to Brazil and continue studying Portuguese. 

Stepping out of the terminal at Incheon International Airport, I thought I knew what to expect; my previous summer at Yonsei University had been a whirlwind of sightseeing and Kpop concerts. After only three days at Arirang News, I realized that the next two months would be unrecognizably different. Finally, and quite suddenly, I was experiencing the authentic aspects of living and working in Seoul. On our first Friday night, my fellow Stanford intern and I found ourselves sitting at a booth in a chicken and beer restaurant for the company’s annual party. The President and CEO gave speeches in Korean, and with help from my new friends, I understood the messages of teamwork and diligence. Over the next few weeks, I watched the news team put those values into action, as production crews, reporters, anchors, and techies construct both daily programs and special TV documentaries. As with any work experience, I learned quickly how to address my superiors and organize my schedule to meet deadlines. Our tasks included transcribing interviews and writing reports on everything from a UN Inquiry into North Korean human rights abuses, to the business models used by leading entertainment companies. In addition, we had the chance to explore Arirang’s other departments like Radio and Television. Not only was this a great opportunity to understand more about the nature of the Korean work environment, it also taught me so much about the coordination involved in running big companies. I hope to use my experience in the future when working with businesses throughout East Asia.

This past summer, I hopped on a plane and landed in Taiwan. Away from family and friends for the first time, I had the opportunity to really nurture a sense of independence and identity. From learning to navigate the extensive transportation network of buses, trains, and subways that threaded the small island country together to witnessing my first typhoon, these novel experiences allowed me to view the world from a new angle. Exchange student researcher by day and a tourist by night, the double life enabled me to experience the country through a unique lens. Interning as a researcher at Asia University was a more diverse experience than I had anticipated: I harvested rice, extracted plant DNA, and visited a technology exhibition. I especially enjoyed being able to apply my skills and coursework to a new set of problems. After the work-day was over, I switched the lab coat for a cardigan and stepped into the world of night markets, fifteen story malls, and themed restaurants. In Taiwan, my taste buds enjoyed an assortment of delightfully delectable treats that included: freshly grilled oysters and clams, stinky tofu, mango shaved ice, matcha ice cream, pineapple cakes, taro cakes, and every flavor of tea imaginable. In addition to exploring the local city of Taichung, where I was interning, my adventures also took me to beautiful hiking paths, historical streets, the celebrated Taipei 101, the picturesque Sun Moon lake, as well as an assortment of beaches. As I boarded the plane, homebound, I realized that in a just a few short weeks, my time abroad had vastly broadened my perspective of the world: I had an address book filled with new friends, a camera full of memories, and a summer filled with fresh insights and unforgettable experiences.

Before my internship with Arirang Television began, I tried to keep myself from forming expectations about Korea. This effort may have been pointless, however, for the Korea I experienced this past summer was something that surpassed any expectations I could have formed. I climbed mountains, I helped backstage at concerts, I ate still-wriggling octopus, and I formally greeted celebrities in Korean.

My internship at Arirang Television was with a production team working on a show about traditional Korean music.  While the television station broadcasts in English, most of the production team was more comfortable talking to me in Korean, despite my limited knowledge of Korean. Soon I found myself picking up both production terms and common small-talk vocabulary. The experience was immersive not only language-wise but friendship-wise. The work was highly collaborative; there were two other interns on my show’s team and we were assigned work collectively. These interns were Korean, but had attended school in the United States. Spending over 40 hours a week speaking about our show and our lives in a strange yet comfortable mix of Korean and English tied us together in a way little else could.

We had shared interests that had brought us all to the same internship and we were able to help each other experience Seoul in new ways. These friendships are invaluable to me. My internship experience has convinced me that I would like to return to work in Korea and my friendships formed this summer created a family of sorts to whom I can return.

I had an amazing time working as a research assistant in the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital Research Lab in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. My principal investigator and coworkers were more than willing to guide me through each step of the research process. The lessons that I learned will prove to be invaluable in my future medical career. My experience this summer gave me a greater sense of independence, knowledge about a new country, and more interest in research.

I would not be doing justice to my experience if I did not mention the wonderful food and people. There is no better way to appreciate Taiwanese culture than to go to a night market and sample all the exceptionally inexpensive and delicious food possible (especially stinky tofu!). In addition, the hospitality and kindness shown by the Taiwanese people are unparalleled. The slightly cliché tourist slogan is “Taiwan, Touch Your Heart,” but by the end of my trip, I realized that this tiny island had deeply touched mine.