Posted On
Topics
Internships & Outcomes
Share
Maryam Hassar ’28 spent her summer as the youngest person in basically every room, brushing shoulders with activists and ambassadors on the floor of the United Nations (UN) in New York City.
It was a monumental two-month internship experience: but most importantly for Hassar, it brought her a step closer to visualizing herself making a difference as a professional and activist.
“Even though it was all so new,” she said, “it felt so natural to me. I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”
Throughout June and July, Hassar attended open sessions at the UN – and heard discussions on decolonization, countering hate speech, artificial intelligence and more. She also sat in on daily meetings that were facilitated by Emmanuel’s founding order, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) and Emmanuel alumna Sr. Isabel Izika SNDdeN ’13, the order’s leading NGO representative.
Hassar, a political science and global & public health double major, is the third Emmanuel student to participate in a United Nations internship of this kind, made possible by the college’s connection to its founders. Additionally, Emmanuel’s Second Founder’s Fund, named in honor of President Emerita Sr. Janet Eisner, SNDdeN, covered Hassar’s housing at The New School in New York over the summer.
The internship stemmed from Sr. Janet, explained Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr. Petros Vamvakas, because she believed that Emmanuel students should have the opportunity to visit the UN and experience it firsthand.
“Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr. Petros Vamvakas“This is a major experience for students. It doubles down on Emmanuel’s core values and exposes students to the global influence that the SNDdeNs have in making positive change.”
Hassar witnessed that influence in real time, taking note of all the necessary elements that go into activism and humanitarian work across the UN floor. Working closely with Sr. Isabel, Hassar also picked up a lot of insight and direct accounts of real-world activism that the SNDdeNs are involved in all over the world.
As part of the internship, Hassar began a research project of her own, studying the implications of nuclear weapons testing on the Marshall Islands, an island country in the Pacific. Being at the UN this summer meant that Hassar could apply new global perspectives to her research, and even meet the UN ambassador to the Marshall Islands, hear from him directly, and establish him as a contact for progressing her work.
Now having returned to Emmanuel, Hassar is eager for that experience at the UN to link to her coursework going forward, whether she chooses to revisit the Marshall Islands topic in a research methods class or as a Distinction in the Field topic when she becomes a senior.
In July, Hassar supported Sr. Isabel and the SNDdeN’s efforts in the UN’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. She assisted Sr. Isabel with the organization of the discussion and the event, by handling many of the moving parts behind the scenes, including managing the live stream to ensure it was available for online viewership.
Hassar also played a role in Sr. Isabel’s work with the “Working Group on Girls,” a women’s rights advocacy group within UNICEF, by reviewing sustainability reports on clothing in different countries to inform the discussion and with setup for the event. Being a part of this work each day over the summer allowed Hassar to fully experience what a career dedicated to activism feels like.
As she continues to picture what her path looks like post-graduation, Sr. Isabel’s mentorship proved to be highly impactful. At the end of each day, the pair would meet and reflect about the discussions Hassar sat-in on and Sr. Isabel would provide wisdom from her own career and experiences.
“I’m a political science major, but I don’t want to be a politician,” Hassar said. “But Sr. Isabel asked me, ‘why not? You’re a good speaker, you want to make a difference…’ And maybe I’m a bit more open to it now. Hearing it from others definitely helps; it’s reassurance that I know what I’m doing.”
Hassar’s interest in political science became even more solid when Emmanuel launched its global & public health major: she found that its connection to humanitarian work and refugee support was a perfect fit to accompany her budding interest in political science.
“The two are so intertwined, and adding global & public health helps me connect political science back to people and the humanity aspect of the work…I know this is what I want to pursue and I’m more and surer of it as time passes,” she said.
Combining her own hopes to make change in the world combined with meeting activists that share similar goals at the UN, Hassar’s internship this summer served as further motivation that she can be a positive influence for change in her career. “That has really stayed with me,” she said.