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Alexandra Terrana (third from left) and Jessica Hum (third from right) interned at the National University of Rwanda, where they were warmly welcomed by their colleagues, pictured.<\/p><\/div>\n
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“I\u2019d taken a course that detailed the framework on which policy is made, so I knew where to start, but it was a big learning curve,” says Terrana, who conducted an audit of physical facilities and practices that created barriers, reviewed policies from other east African universities, and made recommendations achievable with a small budget. “I\u2019m proud of what I accomplished.”<\/p>\n
“Kroeger College isn\u2019t just providing a classroom education, but is opening doors for students,” says Terrana, for whom the internship affirmed the policy field is for her. “The internships give students international experience that would be difficult to get otherwise. Even getting an internship through other organizations is nearly impossible without international experience.”<\/p>\n
The public policy internship program is open to students between their third and fourth years of study, a point at which they have a good basis of knowledge and can bring their experiences to bear on the classroom.<\/p>\n
Dornan strives to make the placements valuable to the students and the organization in which they are working. He has already begun to arrange placements for next year, particularly with the National University of Rwanda, where the ties to the Rwanda Initiative are strong and opportunities for students to join existing research teams are high.<\/p>\n
Dornan envisions a time when the Kroeger component will expand to include faculty policy experts to liaise with agencies and ministries, helping to establish the policy side of the initiative, particularly as Carleton\u2019s institute of African studies brings together researchers.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, Dornan is focused on providing a learning opportunity for students. “If all that we accomplish is that a number of students a year get to experience living and working in Rwanda on meaningful projects, then I\u2019m happy,” he says.<\/p>\n
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