Cosmopolitan Credentials
May 29, 2014
Junior Imani Jones
Junior Angeline Pierre
Juniors Imani Jones and Angeline Pierre have a few things in common: Jones’ father and Pierre’s uncle both traveled as part of their ministry, helping people in developing countries—something that inspired the young women to want to do the same.
This summer, both Jones and Pierre will get the opportunity to participate in international internships with stipends from the Magner Career Center’s Internship Stipend Award. Jones, a finance and business management major, is headed to Italy and Pierre, an Africana Studies major, will go to Haiti.
"This is the kind of experience that will open doors for me," says Jones, who will be interning in the marketing department at the International House of Milan, a language school for international students. "I’m hoping to gain a global perspective on marketing that will differentiate me from other students who are vying for similar positions in the marketing industry."
The internship will mark the beginning of what will be a year in Italy for Jones, who is minoring in Italian. She will also study business during the fall and spring semesters at Bocconi University, also in Milan.
Jones, who leaves in mid-June, traveled to 10 countries in Europe last summer. "I thought I wanted to do a year abroad but I wasn’t sure if I could go for so long," she says. "I loved it."
The Queens native says she is hoping to become fluent in Italian, to learn how to market herself, how to navigate unfamiliar environments, and to work on her own personal brand.
"I’m preparing myself to be adaptive and versatile," says Jones, who works in the college’s International Educational and Global Engagement Center.
Pierre, who plans to become a pediatrician and work in global medicine, found an internship that is right up her ally. Though Pierre was born in the United States, her family is from Haiti. Seeing her mother, who struggled to raise three children by herself, always making an effort to send money home, instilled in Pierre a sense of giving back.
During her three weeks in Haiti, working with the Haiti International Clinical Apprenticeship Program, run by Jimmy Toussaint ‘10, Pierre will shadow doctors working in primary patient care. She will also work with a group of 26 students from all over the world who will conduct a research project and propose solutions to a problem that the hospital can implement.
"I think my heart has always been interested in global health," says Pierre who has a double minor in biochemistry and sociology. "I have always wanted to help developing countries but I have never actually been to one. This is a great opportunity because I will get a chance to see if this kind of career path is really for me. The bonus is that I will also be helping other people."
