Plattsburgh State students will be given the opportunity to travel, get exposure to international jobs and work for a non profit organization while still getting college credit through the Global Studies Engagement program.
The Global Studies Engagement program provides students with the opportunity to intern in New York City. Students apply to various organizations, non-profit and private, such as the United Nations, the National Organization for Women and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commision. Students do not have to be political science or communications majors. Anyone can apply.
The program takes place every fall semester in New York but is based out of SUNY New Paltz. The internship requires about 20 to 25 hours of work a week.
Students meet with a professor once a week at the SUNY global center to go over assigned readings regarding environmental or socio political issues and to reflect upon the internship.
This internship opens the door for students to receive job offers and expose them to different jobs.
“There was a student, Cole Citchen. He is an alumnus for SUNY New Paltz,” Global Studies Engagements representative Scott Boise said. Boise was an intern for the foreign policy association as an event planner and then he ended up getting a job offer right after the semester ended and he is now the supervisor of the event planning and supervises the interns that go there.
Boise went through the program as a student at Potsdam and worked for Swarovski, a crystal company. Boise was the waterschool intern. Swarovski has a program in which it reaches out to third world countries to help build wells, implement water filters and educate on sustainable living.
“The program itself was hands down my favorite semester,” Boise said.
Students receive 12 to15 credits for the internship and the cost is relatively the same as the tuition they currently pay now at PSUC.
Financial aid applies to housing if students stay in 92nd street Y in Upper East Manhattan, which is 20-minute ride from the SUNY global center and two blocks from Central Park.
Communications and science major Nkechi Nwagbara is interested in helping others and figuring out what’s next after college.
“I want to be an advocate for communities who may not have the resources to be a better version of themselves, I feel like this this program can get me there,” Nwagbara said. “I want a better understanding of how I would go about that and give me guidelines or solidify what I want to do.”.
Morgan Pellerin is a career counselor at PSUC. He specializes in helping students find a career with job searching, resume writing and finding internships that best fit the student.
“The conundrum a lot of students find themselves in when your applying to that first job,” Pellerin said. “ They want someone with experience. How do I get that experience? An internship is a way to bridge that gap.”
“It helps them decide, is it the right feel for them? Because sometimes you might do an internship and it’s like ah I thought I would like, that but I really didn’t and you can reassess and look in another direction,” Pellerin said.
If students are interested in the program they can visit www.newpaltz.edu/gep/ or go the career center for more information on internships and applying.
