Marietta, from Wyoming, is part of the WYA in-person internship in Brussels.
She first became interested in WYA and a WYA internship after listening to a talk from a regional director for WYA North America at her college. “What stood out to me was how so many of my interests converge in this kind of work”, she says, “I love the kinds of organizations where you’d have to wear a lot of hats. I love having to do lots of things…like running events”.
Marietta was an intern for the North America office last summer and loved the work she did so much that she applied for the European internship in Brussels. “I had to fundraise my way here”, Marietta says, “I didn’t know if I had enough to pay for multiple trips across the Atlantic. But it really panned out. It’s amazing how when you fundraise, you realize how many friends you have who care about you and are excited about what you’re doing. And I still have moments of like, am I actually here? Am I actually doing this? This is kind of crazy”.
As a WYA member and as part of her internship, Marietta sits in on the European Parliament and listens to the debates.
“It is true that most of the day is spent on the computer”, she shares, “[but] we’re a certified NGO. Our members can get badges for entrance to the European Parliament. So the first week out here, I applied for a badge and attended. There are several committees that we follow in the EP. And so I attended a meeting and took notes and wrote up a report and sent it to the Regional Director for Advocacy”. Marietta says that this experience was “the highlight” of her internship.
All WYA interns have big takeaways and learning experiences. For Marietta, it was gaining an awareness of what goes on in the international political sector and solidarity among other people worldwide.
“You find the people who care about the same things that you care about…so there’s a sense of solidarity that you get with everyone around the world who’s also working for the protection of the dignity of the human person”.
Do you have a desire to promote human dignity in your region or abroad? Sign up for our fall internship program! View program schedules here and email education@wya.net to apply!
