Hello everyone! My name is Maria Sandoval and I am a rising senior pursuing a dual degree in international affairs and economics with certificates in global citizenship, political science research, and U.S intelligence. I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and moved to Orlando in 2019.
This summer, as part of the Global Scholars program, I will be researching human rights approaches in Europe. My summer experience is directly related to my topic and I plan to use some of the knowledge I acquire on the research paper. I will be interning at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. My internship is in the complaints division of the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law. I am incredibly grateful to have an opportunity like this to work directly with what I plan will be my future career. My supervisor is an international lawyer who was a part of the Venice Commission. This is very meaningful to me as I start the process of applying to law school. This experience will confirm my commitment to international law and hopefully give me extensive knowledge into the frameworks of European human rights.
I expect that I will learn a lot through my internship. I have the privilege of being one of the few non-European interns, and I will be working every weekday from 9 to 5, which will allow me to fully absorb the day to day activities of the Council. I was given a list of what my responsibilities will entail, but will only understand for sure what my job is once I start. This is something that makes me a little bit anxious, as I generally like to know exactly what I will be doing before I begin a project. Therefore, it is a huge step for me to be in another country and not know for sure how my experience is going to be. However, I am sure that going through this will give me the tools to navigate similar situations in the future and will be essential when I am finally in the workforce.
Ultimately, I know this will be a time in my life I will remember forever. I am extremely excited to begin work on Monday and hope I have a great summer here in Strasbourg and at the Council of Europe.
Photo of the street in front of my hotel where I stayed during my first night before meeting my host family.
HSF House Blogs 
Maria, your journey is so inspiring! It’s amazing to see how your academic path and your passions are aligning through this internship. Working at the Council of Europe sounds like an incredible opportunity, especially with a mentor who has such a strong background in international law. I admire your honesty about feeling anxious—it’s such a relatable part of stepping into new experiences, especially abroad. I’m sure you’ll gain so much not only professionally but personally as well. Wishing you all the best as you begin your internship—I can’t wait to hear more about what you learn!
LikeLike