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Micaela Vorchheimer (SPS ’17) is a first year graduate student at the School of Professional Studies, pursuing a degree in Global Affairs focusing on human rights and gender studies. Micaela has worked as Vice Chair of the Legal Department of the NGO TECHO and as paralegal of Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal law firm. Prior to graduate school, she obtained a Law degree at University of Buenos Aires with concentration in private law. This past fall, Micaela interned at the Americas Division at Human Rights Watch.
1) What was it like being an Americas Intern at Human Rights Watch (HRW)?
As an Americas Intern I was responsible for a broad range of duties including conducting research, writing memos, doing media coverage, transcriptions, translations, responding to inquiries, and monitoring current events in Latin America. I worked with the direct guidance and supervision of the Americas researchers. The whole experience was unparalleled. HRW’s NY office is located in the fabulous Empire State Building. Working surrounded with those stunning views was unbelievable. Moreover, in February, all Americas researchers gathered for the Annual Summit in New York, and I got the opportunity to meet them.
2) What was the most challenging or rewarding part of the internship?
The thing I enjoy most about my internship at HRW is that I am able to talk with researchers of other teams and learn about their work every day. Through this interaction, I am exposed to different topics and learn how research is done around the world. Moreover, all researchers, associates and interns focus on empowering each other to get the job done. The most challenging part of my internship was helping with the transcription of long interviews of people whose rights were undermined. That task was time-consuming and emotionally exhausting, but when the report was released, I felt the greatest reward.
3) Why should other students apply for the Wasserman Center Internship Grant?
From a financial point of view, a career in human rights is very challenging and many students do internships and volunteer without decent wage. The Wasserman Center Internship Grant can make a difference in your budget and help pursuing your goals. For example, the WCIG will help you alleviate the daily financial stress, fund expenses, bills, and rent payments. Additionally, from a career development perspective, I strongly suggest that students make the right move and follow their true passion. In doing so, they will succeed, go beyond what is required, and even enjoy it. Also, we should not forget that not everyone gets the chance to chose their career path. Therefore, if a student has a true calling, she or he should go for it. “You Only Live Once,” right?
4) Non-paying Internship Survival 101 tip:
Important life lesson: bring your own snack & food to work! It simply doesn’t make economic sense to go out for lunch. In addition, try to unify the hours of the internship in a few days so as to save time and money. Finally, do not forget to make friends! They will make your day more fun and the entire experience unforgettable from every point of view.
The Wasserman Center Internship Grant was established to provide financial assistance ($1000) to students pursuing non-paying internships within not-for-profits, the arts, education, public service and other industries that do not traditionally pay their interns. For more information, the application and eligibility criteria can be found on NYU CareerNet under Job ID #1028609. The application deadline is June 21, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. Please keep in mind this is a competitive process.
Please review these FAQs and contact wassermaninternshipgrant@nyu.edu with any questions.
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