Sabrina Brum
2018 Intern at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal
RIC student, Sabrina Brum at the 2018 PALCUS Gala, with H.E. the Ambassador of Portugal to the U.S. Domingos Fezas Vital. (photo by Henrique Mano, Luso-Americano)
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During the summer of 2018 I had an overwhelmingly incredible experience! I interned in Lisbon through Study in Portugal Network (SiPN??at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) in Lisbon, and transferred 6 credits to my plan of study at Rhode Island College.
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I interned at the Jaques Delors Center for European Information (CIEJD), which is a department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that focuses primarily on providing the Portuguese public with information, in Portuguese, about the European Union.
At the CIEJD I often worked on press releases, the most important one being the press release for the incoming Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union .
I also attended various meetings with diplomats, including a meeting between the Irish Minister of State for European Affairs and Portugal??s Secretary of State for European Affairs, and another between the Prime Minster Ant??nio Costa of Portugal and President Macron of France.
At these meetings I was able to interact with diplomats, ask questions and discuss with others outside my department.
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My internship lasted two months, June and July, and by living in Lisbon for the summer I was able to completely immerse myself in the Portuguese culture and way of life. I am of Azorean descent and have always felt a very close connection to my Portuguese heritage, but living and working in the country was a completely different experience which allowed me to appreciate my culture even more.??
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Interning abroad for a foreign governmental agency provided me with an eye-opening insight into the future I hope to have one day. I plan to continue my studies and pursue a Master???s degree in International Relations to eventually work in the field of diplomacy. The internship experience at the MNE gave me a real world understanding of the field. It was the most amazing journey, albeit a challenging one, whereby I gained an incredible amount of knowledge and experience.??
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Sabrina Brum is a senior at Rhode Island College, majoring in Modern Languages with Concentration in Spanish/Portuguese. She has been an intern at the IPLWS since 2016.
Contact: sbrum_0718@email.ric.edu
The Lema-Fernandes Study Abroad Endowment Fund of the IPLWS was established in 2011 with a grant from the JB Fernandes Memorial Trust and a generous donation from??John A. Lema, Jr. (late friend and benefactor from Newport, RI) for the express purpose of providing scholarship assistance for Rhode Island College students wishing to pursue Portuguese Studies abroad in a Portuguese-speaking nation.
For information on how to apply to this scholarship, visit the IPLWS
You can sponsor a deserving RIC student on an international internship in a Portuguese-speaking nation Named Sponsorship??or by contributing to this Fund??
Please contact Dr. S??lvia Oliveira for more information.