This summer, senior Esther Han and junior Roxanne Rahnama took part in a internship at Stanford University that revolved around international relations, the study of foreign affairs and global issues between countries. “I chose to apply and then partake in this internship because firstly, international relations is a field I am really interested in, and secondly, I am learning important skills that I will use later in life,” Rahnama said.

Michael Tomz, Stanford professor of political science, hired the interns to organize historical information into a database that will shed new light on the causes of international military conflict. “We, the interns, mainly do research in the field of militarized interstate disputes,” Rahnama said. “We analyze various conflicts such as the ones between Israel and Syria and then record and summarize the information into specific dates and key points.”

In addition to online sources, the interns are encouraged to use original sources such as books and newspaper articles.

Internships, especially those at prestigious schools like Stanford, can be intimidating, but Rahnama found the overall atmosphere to be surprisingly relaxing. “Before I arrived I was really worried that the internship would be really serious and difficult,” she said. “But when I went in I realized it is a very comfortable environment; the professor and the other interns are very nice and very fun to work with.”

Even though the first-year interns are not paid, Rahnama believes that the experience was worth it. “The best thing is making a lot of cool friends and experiencing the environment of a college campus,” Rahnama said. “Also, I have been communicating well with the professor and it has helped me work with many different types of people.”

Han agrees. “I learned research skills and how to summarize my thoughts by picking out key information and facts which was very helpful to me,” she said. “It also sounds cool and makes you feel more grown up.”

Both interns said they would recommend internships to students as long as they are up for a challenge. “I would definitely recommend it, but you do have to be able to stare at a computer for six hours,” Han said.

Rahnama was very impressed with the program. “I definitely feel that I have gotten a lot out of it, I know it will help me in the future,” she said.