Rising senior Mikhail Bell '08 (New York, N.Y.) knew that he didn't want to spend another summer working in an insurance agency. Bell, a major in world politics with a concentration on gender studies and development, wanted experience in a profession related to his academic interests. After some research, Bell applied for and received a position as a volunteer at the Carter Center.
Based in Atlanta, Ga., the Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, the Center has helped to improve the quality of life for people in more than 70 countries. It is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.
Bell was originally taken on by the Carter Center to work with the Human Rights program, but he was subsequently adopted by the teams working on Democracy and Conflict Resolution; it was the Conflict Resolution program that Bell found the most interesting. As part of the peace process, the Truth and Reconciliation Council (TRC) will be collecting statements from Liberians about their experiences during the 20-year civil war. Bell worked with the Carter Center on facilitating logistics for this statement project as well as various campaigns to raise awareness about the TRC's project.
Bell also helped prepare the Human Rights team for their third annual Human Rights Defenders Conference, a meeting which provides international human rights defenders with a forum in which to share their experiences. This year the focus will be on faith and the role it plays in inspiring, assisting, or opposing human rights work around the world. During the summer, Bell helped draft questions and perform background research on the invited speakers.
Although Bell had to fund his own housing and food this summer, he said the experience was worth it. He enjoyed talking to his elderly landlady, who had lived in the house her father built nearly all her life, and he enjoyed the independence of living on his own. "It's great preparation for what I'll be facing next year," he said.
In fact, the hardest part of the summer was being a volunteer instead of an employee. "It added to my experience that although I was a volunteer I wasn't treated as one," Bell explained. He was thrilled to meet the huge variety of people at the Center, ranging from U.N. members to Ph.D. candidates. Bell was even able to begin researching his senior thesis, which will deal with sex traffic in Central or South Africa.
Bell had lots of advice for students planning to pursue internships, all the way from how to eat on $10 a month to how to find the right internship. "Just keep plugging away," he emphasized, citing a lesson he had learned at work as well. "And don't settle for just any position; find what you're passionate about."
During the year, Bell is a member of Student Assembly, the Christian Fellowship, and the varsity soccer team. He will be the RA of Minor this year and hopes to take some time off after graduation to work in an NGO or with a research fellowship. He has eventual plans for graduate school.
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
Based in Atlanta, Ga., the Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, the Center has helped to improve the quality of life for people in more than 70 countries. It is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.
Bell was originally taken on by the Carter Center to work with the Human Rights program, but he was subsequently adopted by the teams working on Democracy and Conflict Resolution; it was the Conflict Resolution program that Bell found the most interesting. As part of the peace process, the Truth and Reconciliation Council (TRC) will be collecting statements from Liberians about their experiences during the 20-year civil war. Bell worked with the Carter Center on facilitating logistics for this statement project as well as various campaigns to raise awareness about the TRC's project.
Bell also helped prepare the Human Rights team for their third annual Human Rights Defenders Conference, a meeting which provides international human rights defenders with a forum in which to share their experiences. This year the focus will be on faith and the role it plays in inspiring, assisting, or opposing human rights work around the world. During the summer, Bell helped draft questions and perform background research on the invited speakers.
Although Bell had to fund his own housing and food this summer, he said the experience was worth it. He enjoyed talking to his elderly landlady, who had lived in the house her father built nearly all her life, and he enjoyed the independence of living on his own. "It's great preparation for what I'll be facing next year," he said.
In fact, the hardest part of the summer was being a volunteer instead of an employee. "It added to my experience that although I was a volunteer I wasn't treated as one," Bell explained. He was thrilled to meet the huge variety of people at the Center, ranging from U.N. members to Ph.D. candidates. Bell was even able to begin researching his senior thesis, which will deal with sex traffic in Central or South Africa.
Bell had lots of advice for students planning to pursue internships, all the way from how to eat on $10 a month to how to find the right internship. "Just keep plugging away," he emphasized, citing a lesson he had learned at work as well. "And don't settle for just any position; find what you're passionate about."
During the year, Bell is a member of Student Assembly, the Christian Fellowship, and the varsity soccer team. He will be the RA of Minor this year and hopes to take some time off after graduation to work in an NGO or with a research fellowship. He has eventual plans for graduate school.
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
