Ireland internship yields valuable experience

As a recipient of the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Award, Honors Tutorial College political science major Alexis Eberlein used her funding to complete an internship in Ireland. She worked with the Public Affairs team at the U.S Embassy in Dublin. Her primary responsibility was to help organize and plan the launch of the Embassy’s Young Leaders Council. The Council’s purpose is to serve as a building block for a stronger bilateral relationship between Ireland and the United States. More than one hundred young leaders from across Ireland attended the council event. According to Alexis, she learned details concerning the relationship between these two countries and the role frequent communication has in business ventures.  

In addition to assisting with planning event logistics, Alexis assisted the social media team, completing multiple projects and streamlining the Embassy’s communication. This was to help the Embassy connect with individuals in hopes of understanding concerns of Americans living in Ireland.  

Beyond working with the Public Affairs and Social Media teams, Alexis had a role in several other projects.  She was trusted to “draft memos and remarks for several events involving the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission. Writing the remarks for an event commemorating International Women’s Day that introduced 2019 International Women of Courage honoree Orla Treacy was certainly one of the highlights of my experience at the Embassy” she stated.  

One of her favorite tasks while working with the social media team was compiling news articles and other documents to be sent in for a news briefing in Washington D.C.  This helped her understand the relationship between Ireland and the United States.  

Alexis took time to reflect on what she experienced as an intern. She stated, “The U.S Embassy in Dublin, as part of the U.S. Department of State, has a mission to lead American foreign policy through diplomacy and advance the interests and safety of the American people. I feel that this is exactly what I witnessed during my time as an intern in the Public Affairs Office. The Foreign Service Officers I worked alongside exhibited a passion for diplomacy and a genuine care for the betterment and maintenance of a strong U.S.-Ireland relationship.” 

Alexis was grateful for the opportunity to network with such a diverse pool of professionals. She enjoyed her time, becoming much more familiar with the concept of diplomacy. This experience solidified her interest in a career in international relations.  

For information about the Undergraduate Experiential Learning Award, visit the Undergraduate Experiential Learning office’s funding page or contact experiential.learning@ohio.edu.