Starting in September of 2020, I had the privilege of beginning an internship at the United States Agency for International Development which is a part of the United States Mission to the United Nations Agencies in Rome. USAID is the no. 1 provider of emergency food assistance in the world and works closely with the World Food Program to combat food insecurity around the globe.
The USAID team in Rome is part of the delegation that helps represent the United States on the Executive Board of the WFP. I assisted the team by attending meetings, taking notes, and drafting/formatting documents. This internship was truly such a unique opportunity to see how the United States interacts with the UN agencies, as well as being able to see the policy-framing/organizational side of humanitarian work. I was able to work with extremely kind and helpful professionals who considered me part of the team from day one. My supervisor and colleagues worked hard to ensure that I would be learning as much as possible about any subjects that I am particularly interested in; such as, emergency humanitarian response. I was able to meet so many interesting and intelligent people from the US State Department and from the World Food Program. As an International Relations major who wants to work in the humanitarian sector, I could not have asked for a better internship. This position was truly a dream come true, and I know the skills and insight I gained during my 6 months at USAID will help me in the rest of my studies and in my career.
-- Katelin Johnson