KIP Student Feature – Saanvi Thakur
Saanvi Thakur (Pardee’26, International Relations) spent her summer interning with New Gen Initiatives, where she helped NGI understand community needs and create a sustainable mentorship connection that will support their mentees in the short and long term.
Q&A with Saanvi Thakur
Could you give us a brief description of the organization you are interning with and what your primary responsibilities are during this internship?
NGI is a foundation that aims to provide seed funding and business mentorship to entrepreneurs experiencing severe humanitarian contexts, specifically in refugee-host countries within the Middle East. Currently, NGI has focused on working with local organizations in Lebanon, one of the world’s largest host countries for refugees. As a research fellow, I had a myriad of responsibilities including working to develop a business mentorship model for the program to utilize, researching community-focused organizations in different cities like Tripoli, and working on a fellow research project looking into the intricacies of governmental structures within Lebanon to further support the goals of NGI in uplighting entrepreneurs facing resource barriers.
What area(s) of justice does this organization work in and how did your internship help promote/fulfill these justice goals?
NGI works in areas of social justice, where the organization brings awareness to the barriers caused by severe humanitarian contexts faced by refugee populations. Through providing seed funding to different entrepreneurs, partnering with local organizations in Lebanon, and connecting mentees to business mentors from the diaspora, NGI has a variety of goals that center around making accessibility a reality for refugees. My research focuses specifically on understanding how NGI can create a sustainable mentorship connection that supports mentees in the short and long term.
Has your work this summer changed how you think about justice issues?
Many of my courses at KHC focus on topics of social justice and have provided an important academic foundation and my internship at NGI has further built upon these ideas and concepts we cover in class. Through meeting with executives from organizations based in host countries like Lebanon and attending different board meetings, I’ve been able to gain a deeper understanding of how social justice can be achieved through empowering others specifically through understanding community needs.
How did you find out about this internship, and what advice would you give to students hoping to apply for this funding opportunity in the future?
I found this internship through researching different organizations that work in the MENA region with refugee and local populations. For students interested in applying for this funding opportunity, I think it’s an incredible opportunity to be able to do meaningful work and connect with your peers about it and learn from them as well.
How has the Kilachand coursework and/or the KIP summer mentoring sessions helped prepare you for the work you are doing during your internship?
The summer mentorship has provided multiple opportunities to learn from my peers about their work and perspectives about how social justice looks in different fields ranging from health to law and more.
Learn more about the Kilachand Internship Program here.