NPTS – MIIS Experiential Learning

Baleigh Morgan, NPTS ’20

PEACE BY PIECE INTERNATIONAL

Baleigh standing in front of the Jordan River Foundation’s Al Korma Embroidery Center shortly after interviewing 3 Syrian refugee women about female economic empowerment.

My journey traveling to Jordan as an IPL experience was quite enriching. I traveled to Jordan to conduct interviews with several different organizations who work with female refugees, and low-or no-income Jordanian women. I was also able to interview three Syrian refugee women who are working for an organization called the Jordan River Foundation. The objective of these interviews was to better understand female economic empowerment and how learning professional skills and life-skills can aid in bettering these women’s futures. Due to the fact that these women are now earning an income, they can help provide for their families, which also plays a role in dissuading the men and young boys in their families from joining terrorist organizations for monetary gain. By earning an income independent of their husbands or other family members, these women now have a sense of independence that they may have not felt before.
Besides conducting my own research, I was also representing Peace by Piece International as their Partnership Manager. I was able to pose a variety of questions concerning business and operations to many of these organizations. Our hopes with these interviews was to make connections and potential partnerships with the refugee community. With the help of my research, I was able to make PbPI’s first partnership with the Palestinian refugee community, with an organization called Sitti Soap. We hope that my work in Jordan will help us with other partnerships.
I highly recommend other MIIS students to take advantage of the opportunities that MIIS offers, like IPL. Working hands-on, in the field, is a much different experience than conducting research via the internet. The opportunity to travel to Jordan for research has helped me make new personal and professional connections, where I would have otherwise, never had.

Click to read Baleigh’s report on “Economic Empowerment: A Study on Women in War-Torn Regions”

Back to Jordan Page

Aubrey Means, NPTS ’20

PRAGUE NUCLEAR RESEARCH PRACTICUM Continue reading “Aubrey Means, NPTS ’20”

Irina Yarovaya, MGIMO-MIIS Dual Degree ’19

PRAGUE NUCLEAR RESEARCH PRACTICUM Continue reading “Irina Yarovaya, MGIMO-MIIS Dual Degree ’19”

Mika Mercado, NPTS ’20

PRAGUE NUCLEAR RESEARCH PRACTICUM Continue reading “Mika Mercado, NPTS ’20”

Kelsey Keehfus, NPTS ’20

PRAGUE NUCLEAR RESEARCH PRACTICUM Continue reading “Kelsey Keehfus, NPTS ’20”

Gerard Lanzano, IEP ’19

PRAGUE NUCLEAR RESEARCH PRACTICUM

I applied to the Prague Practicum for two reasons. The first was that, even though I am IEP, I believe that nuclear power is a key ingredient in the fight against the Climate Crisis in addition to renewables. The second was that, because I had intended to do my IPSS in Vienna, and because the trip ended with a few nights in Vienna for the visit to the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it would have been convenient for me. Both points are worth expanding on. First, I learned a great deal from the two weeks my cohort was at the Czech Technical University. For anyone who does not have a science background, but wants to learn something about nuclear fission and fusion, wants to visit nuclear power plants, do cultural excursions, and who wants to make connections for their career, this practicum is very valuable. We learned about how nuclear reactions work, we visited a lot of facilities related to nuclear disaster response, power generation, and we even operated the reactor at the Czech Technical Institute. The cultural excursions were also quite fun, like the walking tour of Prague and the visit to Pilsner. My second point is a little more complicated. First, one of the reasons I had wanted to work in Vienna after this practicum was over was because I have family in Vienna, and I thought that I could live with them. But it turns out that they would not be able to host me. Second, I was not able to apply for an Austrian work visa until after I had received an offer, and once that was done, I would have to apply from the United States, not the Czech Republic. Therefore, my idea of doing IPSS in Vienna went downhill almost immediately after I had arrived in Prague. My main tip to students who may want to do this practicum in the future is have an internship secured before Christmas break. The process of working abroad is longer and more complicated than I had anticipated. This practicum was a learning experience for me in the sense of learning directly from the lecturers at the Czech Technical University, and also about securing a position.

Back to Czech Republic Page