Published Papers, Briefings at the WTO, Conferences at the UN & More
Two Students Make the Most of their Impressive Geneva Internship Experiences
During the spring semester of their junior year, two students in the Geneva Internship: International Relations program contributed to important work in the humanitarian field and culminated their experience by co-publishing an article with their supervisors in the “Applied Psychology around the World” of the International Association for Applied Psychology (IAAP). The article aimed at producing concepts and applying knowledge that guides an effective humanitarian response. The IAAP is the oldest and largest international association of individual members and affiliate international associations, dedicated to promoting the science and practice of applied psychology, according to its website.
While on the program, Kagan Rowland (CAS ’25) and Nathan Eyasu (Cornell ILR ’25) interned with the Centre for Socio-Economic Development (CSEND), an NGO accredited to the United Nations (UN) focused on acting as a center for knowledge and innovation in socio-economic research.
As part of their work for the article, Rowland and Eyasu researched the stress humanitarian workers face due to the brutalities of war – and the ways that humanitarian organizations can help them cope.
“The nature of war is changing and there aren’t a lot of people who consider the stress that people like aid workers are enduring,” Eyasu says. “Bearing in mind the consistent presence of conflict today, awareness regarding the experience of humanitarian workers and their demanding jobs is warranted.”
Rowland adds that work on the paper came to fruition as an opportunity for them because their supervisor Professor Raymond Saner had written an initial iteration of the article decades ago.
“He wanted to update it to fit today’s modern context of the struggles that humanitarian workers are going through,” Rowland explains. “We helped update and revamp the paper and eventually it was republished, which I was very proud of, and it was a great privilege to work on it with Raymond and Dr. Lichia Saner-Yiu.”
Together, Dr. Lichia Saner-Yiu and Professor Raymond Saner run CSEND, where Rowland and Eyasu interned. Previously, Professor Saner served as a delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for many years, an experience that Rowland and Eyasu drew upon and deeply appreciated learning about while in Geneva.
Also, during their internship, Rowland and Eyasu attended briefings at the World Trade Organization, conferences at the UN headquarters, and consultations at the World Summit on the Information Society.
Of all the memorable and impactful experiences that they had, Eyasu, says, “The most memorable part of my time working in Geneva was experiencing the selfless attitude of professionals working at international organizations, dedicating their careers to making the world a better place.”
Eyasu and Rowland expressed gratitude for their supervisors’ roles and for the work to which they have dedicated their lives.
“Professor Raymond Saner and Dr. Lichia Saner-Yiu are two incredibly bright intellectuals whose commitment to learning and growth never ceased to inspire me,” Eyasu says.
The old chestnut says to make the world better, you must make your world bigger. This sentiment rings true for both Eyasu and Rowland, who found themselves in Geneva for the first time, both a bit awestruck by the city’s global disposition and by the critical role that Geneva plays as host to myriad international organizations.
“It was cool to go to the UN Regional Commission on Sustainable Development to see how many people are following up on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and reporting on progress being made or finding gaps where improvement is needed,” Eyasu says. “It was inspiring. I think being in the U.S., you are kind of insulated from the rest of the world and what’s going on…all you see is American politics. So, it was great to see how many people are working on these global goals.”
He was also inspired by this work and thinks that as a future path, for graduate school or afterward, he would consider returning to Geneva. “Whether it be to work in international trade or studying economics around the world and perhaps even microeconomics to better understand poverty, I think Geneva really led me to understand what I want to do longer term,” Eyasu says.
Rowland adds that he enjoyed learning about the history of Geneva and Switzerland and the role it plays in Europe and on the world stage. As a child, he did some international travel with his family, and in Geneva, years later, found himself being reminded by how skilled and multilingual many Europeans are.
“It’s humbling, and I am looking to learn more languages in the future,” Rowland says. “It was cool to see the diversity of cultures and people in Switzerland. I think the international side of Geneva really shines through.”
In addition to the paper that Eyasu and Rowland co-wrote, Eyasu wrote a research paper on socio-economic development titled Could Cooperatives Improve the Livelihood of Single Mother Households in Ethiopia?
His paper explores the struggles of single-mother households in Ethiopia and analyzes the benefits cooperatives could provide to their precarious standing.
“Considering the shallow level of research done on single-mother households in Ethiopia, despite them making up 22 percent of Ethiopia’s households, I believe this piece could be instrumental for future research exploring solutions for their poverty,” Eyasu says.
Eyasu realizes how incredible this opportunity was for him and how he has been able to contribute to the research field of microeconomics – as an undergraduate student no less.
“Before this, I had not had experience with research,” he says. “Our supervisors were very helpful in showing us what is expected of an academic research paper. You have to be thorough; you have to back everything up with previous research and understand the importance of contributing to the existing field of research – not just reiterating what people have already said.”
The Director of Geneva Programs, Leonella Castellano, and Geneva Internship Placement Manager, Mehrnaz Tohidi, feel immense satisfaction and pride when Geneva students, like Eyasu and Rowland, excel in their internship workplaces.
“Our dedication to student professional development is highly rewarding, especially when witnessing successes like those of Kagan and Nathan over a time span of just four months,” Castellano says. “They leave Geneva with invaluable skills, newly found self-confidence, and, most importantly, a broader critical perspective on global politics that impacts not only the U.S. but also the entire world community.”
Tohidi says students like Nathan Eyasu and Kagan Rowland are the highlight of her job. “During their placement interviews, both exhibited a quiet confidence,” she recalls. “They both made the most of their time in Geneva by proactively attending side events and conferences. I had the opportunity to attend a roundtable discussion at their internship, led by the former Head of the Africa Region of UNCTAD. During this event, I heard Nathan share his insights on the economic development of Ethiopia. His perspective, as a representative of Generation Z, was immensely appreciated, and his remarks were particularly poignant.”
Photo Credit: Nathan Eyasu, while visiting the UN headquarters
Global Feature
Global Feature
Global Feature
