| by Nadia Pshonyak

News Stories

Ola in front of the IOM Migration banner in Poland
Ola Pozor (IPD/MPA) completed her summer practicum in Kraków, Poland at the International Organization for Migration working with Ukrainian refugees.  (Credit: Ola Pozor )

This summer, a cohort of thirteen students from a variety of backgrounds completed their practicums while finishing out their degrees at the Middlebury Institute. 

Most Institute students complete a practicum, allowing them to apply their graduate education in real-world settings. Students have the option to go wherever their interests and passions take them, working for a variety of local, state, national, and international organizations and agencies.

Over the summer, students traveled around the world to places like Vietnam and Poland to complete a huge range of projects, including:

  • Completing research on effective multinational public-private insurance solutions in Ukraine
  • Working with the United Way in Santa Cruz
  • Starting a consulting start-up incubating businesses and acting as an intermediary in the pre-seed/impact venture capital (VC) space
  • Developing an industry guide insuring export compliance for Deloitte in Chicago
  • Working on the Marine Carbon Dioxide Research and Development Act of 2024 on Capitol Hill
  • …and more
Name Organization Location
Daniel Bolton (MPA) U.S. Government Accountability Office Washington D.C.
Allie Chapman (EPM) ClearPath Conservative Climate Leadership Program Washington D.C.
Camaro Elliott (IPD) UNICEF Programme Group New York, NY
Braeden Lowe (IPD) Department of Homeland Security Washington D.C.
Jennifer Newsom (IPD/ITED) Marsh & McLennan San Francisco, CA
José Ortiz (ITED) Deloitte Chicago, IL
Ola Pozor (IPD/MPA) IOM - Poland Kraków, Poland
Daniel Ridley (ITED) Independent Research Detroit, MI
Abby Schneiderhan (IPD) The Center for Advanced Defense Studies Washington D.C.
Mitchell Schroeder (IPD) The FinCAT Group Middlebury, VT
Tom Short (ITED) Dezan Shira and Associates Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Matt Stone (MPA) Scaling Seeds (Consulting Startup) Monterey, CA
Pamela Velazquez (MPA) United Way of Santa Cruz County Santa Cruz, CA

Students in the Environmental Policy and Management program complete a Professional Service Semester (PSS) as a part of their practicum. The PSS experience allows students to apply skills and knowledge gained through their prior coursework in a professional setting. Meanwhile, the Master in Public Administration (MPA), MA in International Policy and Development (IPD), and MA in International Trade (ITED) degrees combine all practicum course options within one course. Students can select to complete a work project for an organization where they are completing a job or internship, a client project for a partner organization, or independent academic research that is published in an academic journal or self-published through Middlebury digital platforms. 

All are paired with a peer mentor, an alum mentor, and an academic mentor who help guide them and support them with their projects. Additionally, the group has a monthly call to discuss their progress. At the end of their practicum, all of the students present their work in symposium-style sessions where other MIIS students, friends, mentors, professors, and interested parties can join and learn about their work. 

Being on the ground allowed me to gain insights and nuances that would be difficult to grasp from remote research. I am deeply grateful to the staff at MIIS, the Freeman East Asia Internship Fund, and Dezan Shira and Associates for making this invaluable experience possible
— Tom Short, ITED

Tom Short, a student in the International Trade program completed his practicum as an International Business Advisor with Dezan Shira & Associates in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a consultancy specializing in market entry for international firms. He gained first-hand exposure to trade and geopolitical issues examined in several International Trade classes here at the Institute. In his role, he witnessed how businesses, governments, and local entities are adapting to capitalize on Vietnam’s pivotal moment as an emerging key destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) from China, spurring significant economic growth.

Meanwhile, in Kraków, Poland, Ola Pozor, a joint IPD/MPA student worked at the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency supporting refugees and migrants with various programs.She assisted with program design and reporting, created briefs and presentations, attended migration conferences, coordinated with partner organizations, visited shelters and NGOs, and  more. She worked primarily with Ukrainian refugees. 

In Monterey, Matt Stone, a student in the MPA program, started his own consulting startup, Scaling Seeds, helping businesses and acting as an intermediary in the pre-seed/impact venture capital (VC) space with a focus on growth to maximize returns on business investments. He has helped support 25 companies fostering 50+ global partnerships with six post-revenue companies developed.

My internship…was a perfect application of the skills and knowledge I’ve acquired in my studies at MIIS- migration policy & human rights development approaches, field research methods, program design & management, monitoring & evaluation, intercultural competence, and multilingual conversations in Polish, English, Ukrainian, and Russian.
— Ola Pozor, IPD/MPA
A man presenting in front of some people
Tom Short (ITED), presenting to visiting students from Claremont Graduate University on the changing nature of supply chains in his role as an International Business Advisor for Dezan Shira & Associates.   (Credit: Tom Short )
It was a great way to reconnect with the business community…to understand the needs of additional start- ups in the impact space.
— Matt Stone, MPA

These three student experiences are just a glimpse of the many ways MIIS students make an impact around the world and at home applying their education in classrooms to practical real-world solutions.