In 2021, after a forced year of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, WIF welcomed an undergraduate student into our summer internship program through a collaboration with CEA Study Abroad France.
Samantha (Sam) Dougherty is a rising senior at Pennsylvania State University who is majoring in political science and minoring in media studies. Her eight-week remote internship focused on the four-day Art & Conversation online event that WIF hosted in conjunction with COVID-19 PAGES: The Influence & Inspiration of Women, the virtual art exhibition that celebrates the essential work of women who are mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic across the globe.
In alignment with her political science major, Sam wrote papers on the intersection of political science with art and philanthropy. In alignment with her media studies minor, she worked with the technical team for Art & Conversation to evaluate the possibility of hosting the event on Airmeet.com, a platform that is relatively new and that Team WIF was considering using for the first time. (We ended up using Zoom Webinar for the event.) She also provided technical support throughout the entire four-day online experience.
Based on what she learned from the 20+ presenters who participated in the event, Sam wrote a final paper that incorporated her new insights and opinions on the intersection of political science with art and philosophy. She also conducted a live interview with Mary Kurek, the founder of Frontrunners Innovate, as part of her exploration of this topic. Kurek organized an opportunity for Sam to attend a public policy call with Ambassador Ghazala Khan, UN Mission Head/Ambassador at the Federation of International Gender and Human Rights to The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and several young influencers from Nigeria.
Sam’s papers are being used to support her activities during her senior year at Penn State:
Intersection of Art and Politics
Intersection of Politics and Philanthropy
Reflections on Art & Conversation
Her interview with Mary Kurek is published on WIF’s YouTube channel:
and summarized in an article published by Frontrunners Innovate:
The Journey to Building The Best Business Asset
Click on the link below to watch Sam share her thoughts about her internship:
Sam Dougherty: Reflections on 2021 Summer Internship
Sam’s internship brings together two of our Strategic Focus Areas:
To learn more about them, click on the links above.
