Author – Thomas Day

This past summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad in Rome, Italy. My study abroad experience was not only a study opportunity to learn the Italian language and culture, but I also interned at an Italian Think Tank, Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale (CeSPI).

On a normal day, I would wake up at my dormitory at 8 am and meet my friends in the lobby to start walking to class. On our commute to class, we walked past the Vatican, which was a mere 5-minute walk away from our dorm, and then went to a cafe where we would order cornettos and cappuccinos. For the rest of the morning, we would attend an Italian class. I found this class to be extremely practical because the instructor knew many of us had no background in Italian and knew that we were only in Italy for the summer, so our professor prioritized learning phrases we would use daily. She also would take us on field trips to cafes and popular squares to speak to Italians on the street. I found this to be extremely useful, and I felt comfortable asking for help, ordering meals, and having basic conversations in Italian by the end of the summer.

After Italian class, I would go to my internship at CeSPI, which was right next to the Roman Forum and a 5-minute walk away from the Colosseum. CeSPI is well-known in Italy for being a leader in migration research and for being one of four Think Tanks that informs the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. One of my jobs at CEPSI over the course of the summer was to write a policy recommendation on an issue that intersected with migration. For me, it was easy to decide the perspective I wanted to intersect was climate change, which has defined most of my undergraduate research at Indiana University. My topic ended up being on Improving Migrant Resilience in the Face of Vulnerabilities Amplified by Climate Change in Italy. I chose this topic because daily, I would interact with migrants on the streets of Rome, where their vulnerabilities are very apparent. Migrants are more likely to have low-income jobs where exploitation is common, insufficient housing, and little access to healthcare. Additionally, migrants in Rome make up a significant percentage of the homeless population and often find sanctuary at places such as the Vatican. My research over the summer focused on how climate change exacerbates current migrant problems and how they will only get more severe as temperatures and climate impacts worsen. For me, this topic was fascinating to research because the subject of the research felt present and so I felt incredibly pressured to ensure my policy recommendations were supported by the research and were viable options to be implemented by the Italian government.

When I wasn’t in class or at work, I was with an amazing group of new friends that I made during my study abroad. We went to museums, ate at popular restaurants, and explored the side streets of the eternal city. Because everyone came from different academic backgrounds and interests, I felt like I was constantly learning and trying new things.

On the weekends, we traveled around Italy either by night bus or train. Some of the main sights included Venice, the rolling hills of vineyards in Tuscany, the beautiful Amalfi Coast, and the history of Pompeii. My favorite moments of the summer were deep conversations with friends under the columns of the Vatican, hikes to the Neolithic caves outside of Matera, and looking at the Milky Way in the heart of the Italian countryside.

The summer was packed to the brim with learning opportunities and memories, both from the academic and social sides. I am so grateful for this experience and to the people involved. I made friends and memories that will last a lifetime. I would like to thank the Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development for supporting my study abroad this summer and for their continued support throughout my undergraduate career!

In international development, viewpoints can widely differ over the role of private and public actors, as well as domestic and international investment, in growing economies worldwide. This summer, as a Policy and Research Intern at the US-ASEAN Business Council in Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to become involved the intersection of these perspectives and discover how eager cooperation between stakeholders was not only common, and but also produced incredible results. The opportunity to pursue this internship was made possible through the generous support of the Tobias Center, who allowed me to expand my professional skills during my internship and prepare for a career in international development analysis.

Through my work at the US-ASEAN Business Council, I gained a practical understanding of how governments and businesses across borders and cultures seek mutual development. ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political union of ten Southeast Asian nations, which together hold over 650 million people with a variety of cultural backgrounds, as well as over $3.5 trillion US dollars in nominal GDP. The US-ASEAN Business Council engages with both ASEAN as a political entity and the governments of each of its nations on behalf of its American business members across a variety of sectors.

My work at the US-ASEAN Business Council allowed me to gain a granular knowledge of how political actors engage with the private sector to encourage development. In my internship, I had the opportunity to work with the Council’s ASEAN, Singapore, Energy, and Sustainability portfolios. The most prominent work I was involved with was drafting analytical updates. In these regular updates to the Council’s hundreds of business contacts, I would collect news for each portfolio, summarize recent policy changes in a government or business sector, and analyze the implications of these changes for American businesses. From Singapore’s June cabinet reshuffle to changes in Indonesia’s energy regulations, these updates provided me with both in-depth analytical experiences, as well as exposure to the economic dynamics of the entire region and its investment partners. As a result, I now have a better understanding of how political factors in a nation influence how investment into development flows from overseas.

The myriad of meetings, webinars, and networking opportunities at the US-ASEAN Business Council also exposed me to a range of expertise, perspectives, and potential career opportunities in international development. The Council frequently hosts summits, missions, and events connecting Southeast Asian heads of state and ministers with its American member companies. For example, I had the opportunity to help with the planning and note-taking for the Council’s Singapore Business Mission. There, a delegation of members went with the Council to meet with Singaporean leaders. Although the conversations were focused on Singapore, an already developed nation, the companies were interested in how their engagement with Singapore would lead to development throughout the rest of the region through further investment and trade. Aside from these higher-level meetings, the Council is also heavily involved in ground-level support of Southeast Asian businesses, such as the ASEAN SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) Academy programs I had the opportunity to help coordinate. The US-ASEAN Business Council also frequently engages with U.S. government secretaries, ambassadors, and other officials to help communicate how American businesses are working to develop Southeast Asian nations. Finally, I was encouraged as an intern to attend webinars and other events occurring at international conferences and D.C. thinktanks that were relevant to my portfolios. Participating in these meetings allowed me to better understand the skills and experiences that would support my continued career in international development, as well as build connections with experts and professionals throughout the policy world.

As I complete my final year as a graduate student at Indiana University, my internship at the US-ASEAN Business Council will be a defining aspect of my academic and professional growth here. Through my internship, I gained a deeper understanding of how the public and private sectors guide each other that I can apply towards my International Development concentration coursework for my Master of Public Affairs at O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. In addition, the knowledge I gained of the ASEAN region and its economic growth will be instrumental for my graduate thesis on Chinese and Japanese investment in Southeast Asia through my Master of Arts in East Asian Studies at Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. Finally, the connections I established at the Council and throughout the international policy analysis sector will be instrumental in guiding my post-graduation career opportunities. I am grateful that the Tobias Center helped me to experience the range of international development occurring at the intersection of governments and businesses across nations through this amazing internship.