My internship at the United Nations
For my International Business internship, I interned for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. My tasks were diverse, and the people I worked with, too — from NGOs to private and public sectors to athletes and celebrities.
My internship was thrilling, and I had the opportunity to work with celebrities, meet high-level United Nations officials, engage with young champions and youths from 130+ countries, and work in Geneva, Switzerland. I was a Graphic Design Intern for the New York Global Desk, Global Communications Service, Division of External Relations in the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Although my duty station was in New York, I also worked with the headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. At the time, I was working remotely from the Netherlands, but I went to the UNHCR Headquarters to support the team for the World Refugee Day global events. I have also supported the youth team implementing youth projects and the Nansen Refugee Award team.
“To do great work, you have to find the job you love.” — Mohammed Mostafa
Structured and diverse days
I spent most of my time creating, designing, and editing animated GIFs, graphics, photos, presentations, reports, templates, videos, and so on for various global activities, events, and projects. And I researched arts, artists, designs, digital trends, and trending content on different social media platforms. I also took courses on numerous topics provided by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Challenge, to improve my expertise, knowledge, and skills. I also met with various teams to work on different projects and tasks. My days were full but structured, with two daily updates on multiple social engagements, stories, news that mentioned UNHCR, and updates on refugee situations.
Work and learn at NHL Stenden
I liked that I got to advocate and raise awareness about refugees, engaged youths worldwide, worked with artists and celebrities, and worked on various global projects in a very diverse and multicultural team and environment. The workplace used the Design Thinking method, basically the same structure as NHL Stenden’s Design-Based Education (DBE). As I was working remotely, it meant I could work at the NHL Stenden campus — I liked working in the study landscapes there. It also meant that I could still go out with my friends in the evenings and explore the Netherlands on the weekends, visiting different places and cities and learning more about the culture, country, and its people.
It’s important to get involved with extracurricular activities while students are studying. NHL Stenden helped me connect with different companies, and I’ve been president and chairman for NGOs, participation councils and student associations in Bali, Bangkok, California, Doha and Leeuwarden. It’s these extracurricular activities that help us learn new languages and skills and help you find your passions. And then, students can follow their dreams and find the job they love the most.
Find out more about International Business and the opportunities it offers on the course website.
The original interview was published by NHL Stenden here.