Former United States Diplomat Robert William Dry visited Stony Brook University’s Career Center on Wednesday to speak to students about a prestigious internship offered by the Department of State.
The internship positions, available during the fall, spring and summer, allows students to get first-hand experience in foreign affairs while working at the department headquarters in Washington D.C. or one of the many overseas embassies.
‘We put them to work,’ Dry said. ‘We want the students to help us accomplish our mission.’
The main goal of the program is to prepare interns for future careers in Foreign Service and Civil Service. Participants will be learning how to become an ambassador to a foreign country.
About 30 students attended the information session, all of them eager to learn about this opportunity. The program is looking for students with a broad range of majors and different backgrounds.
‘We’re looking for bright, motivated, talented individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply to all of our programs,’ Dry said.
Freshman Manav Nanda, a public health major, attended the information session because of his interest in foreign service.
‘The most interesting thing for me is the fact that they’re looking for everybody,’ he said. ‘If you have a good set of skills, there’s a spot for you.’
Dry also described two fellowships offered by the Department of State: the Rangel Fellowship and the Pickering Fellowship, named after congressman Charles B. Rangel and former U.S. ambassador Thomas R. Pickering.
‘We want more people to consider applying to our programs so we created some incentive programs,’ he said. ‘These fellowships are not only financial aid for the students, but also offer summer enrichment programs worth nine credits.’
The summer enrichment programs are held in Washington D.C. Students must have a 3.2 grade point average to be eligible for the fellowships. The applications for both fellowships’ are not yet available.
The deadline for the Summer 2010 internship is Nov. 1, and all applicants must be U.S. citizens. Students must also submit a statement of interest. The duration of the internship is 10 weeks.
At the end of the information session, Dry gave everyone who attended a homework assignment: apply online for the internship.
