Last fall, Maura Donovan '09 (Haverhill, Mass.) went to South Africa to spend a semester studying at the International Human Rights Exchange, based at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She studied human rights and interned at the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a small human rights organization that operates out of Johannesburg. "It was my first peek into human rights work," she says.
This summer, Donovan is taking on the challenges of a much bigger organization. The rising senior is working for Amnesty International in Washington, D.C., as a country specialist intern. She supports volunteer country specialists, many of whom are professors or former Peace Corps volunteers. Her work includes getting the specialists in touch with regional directors who are responsible for lobbying Congress, encouraging cooperation between Amnesty's domestic and international efforts, and helping to organize upcoming "country review meetings" where the specialists will gather to discuss what the plan of action should be for their region.
Since she works with specialists for Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, Donovan says that her job has given her a much deeper understanding of current events in those areas. Living in Washington has also been an educational experience. Donovan, a world politics major, has been able to attend Foreign Affairs Committee hearings on the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay, since the Capitol is within walking distance of her office. "Everyone here is interested in politics, and it's easier to be informed," she says. "Every resource is at your fingertips."
Donovan, although new to Washington, is no stranger to Amnesty International. She was involved with the organization prior to starting college, and after she arrived at Hamilton, she was instrumental in re-starting the group on campus. This summer, she wanted to work for a larger organization than the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, while staying in the field of human rights. She applied to 12 different organizations, and was excited to be offered an internship with a big-name organization such as Amnesty. "I thought [applying] might be a long shot," she says. Her advice to those seeking internships is to "apply to everything."
Thanks to alumni and parent donations, Hamilton students can apply for funding to support them while they work in unpaid internships. Donovan received a stipend this summer from Hamilton's Joseph F. Anderson Internship Fund, given in honor of a 1944 Hamilton graduate who served the college for 18 years as vice president for communications and development. The fund in his name provides individual stipends to support full-time internships for students wishing to expand their educational horizons in preparation for potential careers after graduation.
In addition to leading the Amnesty International group at Hamilton, Donovan is a member of Action Plan, which brings together the leaders of the different political activist groups on campus. The students coordinate activities such as the activism week that they organized this spring. Donovan is also involved with Alternative Spring Break, and for the past two years has served as a trip co-leader. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school and then to work in international relations, probably focusing on human rights work and diplomacy. First, however, Donovan would like to go abroad again, to gain crucial experience for working in international relations.
-- By Laura Bramley
This summer, Donovan is taking on the challenges of a much bigger organization. The rising senior is working for Amnesty International in Washington, D.C., as a country specialist intern. She supports volunteer country specialists, many of whom are professors or former Peace Corps volunteers. Her work includes getting the specialists in touch with regional directors who are responsible for lobbying Congress, encouraging cooperation between Amnesty's domestic and international efforts, and helping to organize upcoming "country review meetings" where the specialists will gather to discuss what the plan of action should be for their region.
Since she works with specialists for Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, Donovan says that her job has given her a much deeper understanding of current events in those areas. Living in Washington has also been an educational experience. Donovan, a world politics major, has been able to attend Foreign Affairs Committee hearings on the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay, since the Capitol is within walking distance of her office. "Everyone here is interested in politics, and it's easier to be informed," she says. "Every resource is at your fingertips."
Donovan, although new to Washington, is no stranger to Amnesty International. She was involved with the organization prior to starting college, and after she arrived at Hamilton, she was instrumental in re-starting the group on campus. This summer, she wanted to work for a larger organization than the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, while staying in the field of human rights. She applied to 12 different organizations, and was excited to be offered an internship with a big-name organization such as Amnesty. "I thought [applying] might be a long shot," she says. Her advice to those seeking internships is to "apply to everything."
Thanks to alumni and parent donations, Hamilton students can apply for funding to support them while they work in unpaid internships. Donovan received a stipend this summer from Hamilton's Joseph F. Anderson Internship Fund, given in honor of a 1944 Hamilton graduate who served the college for 18 years as vice president for communications and development. The fund in his name provides individual stipends to support full-time internships for students wishing to expand their educational horizons in preparation for potential careers after graduation.
In addition to leading the Amnesty International group at Hamilton, Donovan is a member of Action Plan, which brings together the leaders of the different political activist groups on campus. The students coordinate activities such as the activism week that they organized this spring. Donovan is also involved with Alternative Spring Break, and for the past two years has served as a trip co-leader. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school and then to work in international relations, probably focusing on human rights work and diplomacy. First, however, Donovan would like to go abroad again, to gain crucial experience for working in international relations.
-- By Laura Bramley
