The contribution of undergraduate and graduate students to IRRI's work has been far-reaching since its inception in 2004. For each internship cycle (fall, spring and summer) IRRI receives many applications from students from all over the world. The selection process is based on the student's area of study, work experience and interest, and we carefully try to match selected interns with any one of our four programs (Darfur, citizenship, international justice and refugee law & policy).
Many of our students receive academic credit for their internship, and some stay well beyond their internship is finished. We pride ourselves on providing interns who successfully complete an internship with references upon request of the intern and/or future employers, often many years after they leave us.
We would like you to read more about our Spring 2010 interns:
New York office
Emily Cody graduated from Fordham University in 2009, where she majored in Political Science with a focus on Philosophy. She completed a semester in Peace and Conflict Resolution at the American University, where she studied the ‘Cyprus Problem’, visiting Cyprus, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. In August 2009, she earned a certificate in Genocide and Human Rights Studies from the International Institute of Genocide and Human Rights Studies, held at the University of Toronto. At IRRI, she focuses on developments within the ICC and the Responsibility to Protect norm, and has drafted research on development-induced displacement, Darfur, and Guinea.
Emily O’Toole is a senior at Fairfield University with a double major in International Studies and History. Emily has a passion for social justice at home and around the world. For two summers she worked as a volunteer tutor with Let’s Get Ready in Lawrence, Massachusetts. There she taught disadvantaged first generation prospective college students how to prepare for their verbal and written SAT. Additionally she interned at Beverly Bootstraps Community Services, which is a non-profit working to end hunger in Beverly, Massachusetts by focusing on root causes and offering free emergency and empowerment services. Emily has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. At Fairfield University Emily has done work on campus through Students for Social Justice promoting awareness regarding global injustices, such as refugee rights, genocide, child soldiers, and fair trade and labor practices world wide. She also spent semesters abroad in Florence, Italy, and Beijing, China. As an intern at IRRI, Emily is responsible for compiling the bi-weekly Darfur in African media survey, conducting research tasks and assisting NY staff with day-to-day administrative duties.
Lacey de Vlaming is a candidate in Columbia University's MA program in Human Rights Studies, with a concentration in humanitarian affairs. Lacey has focused her research on issues related to forced migration, particularly post-conflict reintegration and protracted refugee situations. Prior to attending Columbia, Lacey obtained a BA with high honors in Political Science from Eckerd College (2007). As an undergraduate, she volunteered with the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, where she worked with Liberian nationals in the Refugee Youth and Family program. Currently, Lacey is drafting her Master's thesis on durable solutions for protracted refugee situations in Africa and will be working on IRRIs Citizenship in the Great Lakes region program.
Kampala office
Emily Soothill recently completed an LLM in Public International Law at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom and is currently working on IRRI’s International Justice Program. Emily has developed her interest in human rights and displacement by working with victims of child trafficking in Nepal and undertaking an internship with the University of Nottingham Human Rights Law Centre. After her internship with IRRI, Emily will be start work for the legal charity Reprieve, helping defend the human rights of prisoners on death row, before finishing her legal training at a law firm in London.
Zahra Soucek studied International Relations and Politics at the University of Portsmouth after which she started work at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London. There she was part of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) programme covering different campaigns and Urgent Actions for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen and Oman. Later she became part of the Stop Violence Against Women (SVAW) campaign team assisting in preparations for various international missions.
After leaving Amnesty International, she worked at Deaf Child Worldwide as an International Development Assistant where she managed different aspects of fundraising.
Zahra left Deaf Child Worldwide to do independent work with local orphanages and schools in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
At IRRI, she works to improve fundraising capacity and the Darfur program.