From Nepal to New York City, Students Complete Practicum Projects This Fall

This fall, Middlebury Institute students are completing experiential learning courses, practicum courses, and research theses all over the country and globe. They are conducting research and completing projects varying from comparative studies of AI models’ academic research capabilities to ensuring women farmers’ empowerment in Nepali agriculture. Whether conducting independent research or working with external organizations, MIIS students are gaining hands-on experience while contributing actively to their fields.
The courses and research projects listed below offer students practical, experiential learning opportunities that bridge their academic studies with their professional interests.

International Policy and Development, Public Administration, and International Trade Practicum
Students from our International Policy and Development (IPD), Public Administration (MPA), and International Trade (ITED) programs have the opportunity to participate in meaningful experiences tailored to their professional goals. Students may choose to undertake a work project within an organization where they are employed or interning, collaborate on a client project with a partner organization, or engage in independent academic research that can be published in an academic journal or self- published via Middlebury’s digital platforms.
Below is a list of current student participants with their work location and organization.
Name | Organization | Location |
Sally K. Ahmed |
UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office |
Nairobi, Kenya (remote) |
Hang Yu |
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) |
Rome, Italy |
Jing (Sijing) Lyu |
UNICEF |
New York, NY |
Xinyue Wen |
Harvard Spatial Data Lab |
Boston, MA |
Xuechun Du |
UNICEF |
Geneva, Switzerland |
Jingyuan Yin |
FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia |
Yerevan, Armenia |
Jiakai Deng |
UNICEF |
New York, NY |
Luya Jiang |
US Tiger Securities, Inc. |
New York, NY |
Yongyi Cao |
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |
Paris, France |
Joey Hebl |
UNICEF LACRO |
Panama City, Panama |
Edgar Leon |
UNICEF |
Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
Roo Luo | Fund for Peace | Washington, D.C. |
Ambika Rai | Independent Research: Child-Friendly Local Governance in Nepal (CFLG) | Remote |
Carolyn Meyers | UNICEF | New York, NY |
Sarah Slade | MEarth | Carmel, CA |
Qiqi Chen | UNICEF | Cape Town, South Africa |
Zixiang Zhang | UNICEF | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
Diego Olivieri | Independent Research | Virginia |
Jefferson Stamp | Independent Research in Partnership with Montenegro’s Special State Prosecutor’s Office | Monterey, CA |
Sam Kostopulos | Hudson Institute China Center | Washington, D.C. |
Ryan Hayes | Independent Research: Education Initiative | Monterey, CA |
Marissa Gonzalez | FAO Nepal | Kathmandu, Nepal |
Martin Gapultos | UNICEF | Ney York, NY |
Kris Rose | Independent Research | Monterey, CA |
Rachel Chung | American Institute in Taiwan, U.S. Foreign Commercial Section | Taipei, Taiwan |
Kerra Blotz | UNICEF | Monrovia, Liberia |
Zhengyi Li | UNICEF | New York, NY |
Jingwen Wang | UNICEF | Geneva, Switzerland |
Andrew Sang | Independent Research | New York, NY |
Anvar Nizamov | UNICEF | Monterey, CA (Remote) |

MPA in Sustainability Practicum
MPA in Sustainability Practicum students are leading initiatives for schools, nonprofits, and businesses to advance environmentally sustainable solutions. They develop skills in sustainability and climate science, policy and social justice, sustainability assessment and disclosure, and sustainability strategy and action through real-world projects.
Below is a list of current participants, along with their organizations and locations.
Name | Organization | Location |
Omari Hines |
Southern California Edison |
Remote |
Daniel Lesser |
Power Options, Inc. |
Boston, MA |
Adrienne Mushiya Kalan |
Saint Thomas Moore Catholic School |
Decatur, GA |
Professional Service Semester
The Professional Service Semester (PSS) is an experience designed for students in the Environmental Policy and Management and Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies programs to perform hands-on work with an external organization in their fields of interest.
Below is a list of current student participants with their work location and organization.
Name (Program) | Organization | Location |
Maxwell Patterson (NPTS) |
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch |
New York, NY |
Logan Jenson (NPTS) |
Independent Research |
San Francisco, CA |
International Education Management and Joint Public Administration/International Education Management Practicum
The practicum of the International Education Management (IEM) program is a critical opportunity for students to combine their academic knowledge with experience in the field managing international education programs. IEM students are working across the world with study abroad programs, language immersion programs, and other university programs.
Below is a list of current student participants with their work location and organization.
Name (Program) | Organization | Location |
Nicolas Paneto |
Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad in Puerto Rico |
Puerto Rico |
Samantha Quintell-Lenzi |
Middlebury Institute of International Studies |
Monterey, CA |
Emma Cooper | Middlebury School Abroad Spain | Madrid, Spain |
Sydney Low | Middlebury School in Japan | Tokyo, Japan |
Bridgett Figueroa | Immerse | Remote |
Lydia Johnson | Howard University, Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center | Remote |
Lauren Gress | Kitakamakura Girls School | Kanagawa, Japan |

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Teaching Foreign Language Practicum
Our students in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Teaching Foreign Language (TFL) programs are gaining experience with students and educators in real classroom settings, while participating in reflective practice and progressing their professional development.
Below is a list of current participants for both programs with their organizations and locations.
Name | Organization | Location |
Abigail Rogers (TESOL) |
Middlebury Institute of International Studies California State University Monterey Bay Monterey Peninsula Community College |
Monterey, CA |
Loraine Ruiz Vera (TFL Spanish) |
Middlebury Institute of International Studies |
Monterey, CA |
Aaron Tsai (TFL Chinese) | Middlebury Institute of International Studies | Monterey, CA |
Michael Zhao (TFL Chinese) | Middlebury Institute of International Studies | Monterey, CA |

Translation and Localization Management Practicum
The Translation and Localization Management (TLM) program practicum is designed for students to gain practical experience by designing and completing their own localization-related research projects, participating in an internship at international companies, or working for a nonprofit organization such as Women in Localization. Some students are also given the opportunity to mentor first-year TILM students. The projects and internships all have a learning component, and students are expected to share their experiences with each other to foster knowledge sharing. The work is typically completed remotely.
Name | Organizations |
James Troyer |
TLM Mentorship Program |
Jessie Xiang |
CampLoc Conference, Globe Multilingual Services |
Anson Jia |
Translation Commons, CampLoc Conference, Globe Multilingual Services |
Shang Li |
Translation Commons, Translation for Elders, ROAR Podcast |
Robbye Raisher |
GlobalSaké, LocLearn Professional Development Training |
Nicky Yu |
CROSSPACE |
Seong Eun (Joy) Lee |
LingoLeap Inc., 2025 Migration Project |
Cathy Cao | Translation Commons, TLM Mentorship Program, Women in Localization |
Sayana Maraktaeva | Translation Commons, ROAR Podcast |
Stan Huang | CROSSPACE |
Rebekah Salazar | American Red Cross |
Isabel Wang | Dragonbaby, Globe Multilingual Services |
Leo Dai | ROAR Podcast |
Ethan Wu | Translation Commons, Globe Multilingual Services |
Bella Yang | ROAR Podcast |
Mercury Li | Globe Multilingual Services |
Simon Leach | Globe Multilingual Services |
Gabriela Unguez | Translation Commons |
Allie Frankel | Middlebury School in Cameroon, Globe Multilingual Services, ROAR Podcast |
Jocelyn Shen | W3C |
Coraline Yang, Judy Dong, and Victoria Shimkus | Therabody |
Fenshi Xu, Anqi Tong, and Océane Cui | Net app |
Peng Chen, James Kuba, and Marley Uyemura | Okta |
Alan Ding, Eva Zhuo, and Julena Wuer | NATIONS Translation Group |
Jonathan Myers, Jinxing Chen, Yanlin Chen, and Julia Zhu | GitLab |
Adrian Delgado Martinez, Ella Barton, Ruiyi Zhang | Adobe |


- Students,
- Experiential Learning,
- International Education Management,
- International Policy and Development,
- International Trade and Economic Diplomacy,
- Translation and Interpretation,
- Translation and Localization Management,
- TESOL and Teaching Foreign Language,
- Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies,
- Master of Public Administration,
- Global Governance and Policy
For More Information
Experiential Learning
experientiallearning@middlebury.edu