As she stood in Central Park watching Queen perform at the end of the Global Citizen Festival last year, University of WA student Brittany Quy felt like pinching herself.
“I will always remember that moment with the Manhattan skyline in the background, knowing the weeks and weeks of hard work, long hours and dedication had paid off – that we had contributed towards making a real difference and raising close to USD$1 billion for poverty alleviation,” the 24-year-old said.
“I had spent the day staffing a Prime Minister and witnessing the behind-the-scenes action of a music festival was incredible, and joining the crowd at the end was the cherry on top.”
The McCusker Centre for Citizenship sent the Glen Forrest resident – who is completing a Masters of International Law and International Relations at UWA – on a three-month internship at Global Citizen’s Global Policy and Government Affairs (GPGA) team in New York.
GPGA Global Director Michael Sheldrick said Ms Quy was a “phenomenal intern”.
“Often, Brittany was given work and tasks that were beyond the scope of a first-year internship, at which she always excelled,” Mr Sheldrick said.
“This included written content pieces featured on the Global Citizen website, policy research and data analysis, planning and organizing for major events, among several other tasks such as high-level meetings at the United Nations.
“During the course of the internship, Brittany continuously strived for her work to be of the highest-quality, taking initiative but engaging in discussion and questions when needed. Brittany brought several skills and education to her work, and it was evident in what she produced throughout the course of her time with Global Citizen.”
Although the internship was an incredible experience, Ms Quy said it wasn’t without its challenges.
“Trying to obtain information and work with teams across different time zones and continents while managing different deadlines wasn’t always easy, but it often gave me the opportunity to take initiative and work autonomously,” she said.
Ms Quy said her internship at Global Citizen had solidified her plans to continue working in social justice and campaigning for human rights.
“It has broadened my perspective on what can be achieved when different stakeholders come together to create change, and of the many opportunities there are to become involved in contributing to change around the world,” she said.
The McCusker Centre for Citizenship organises local, regional, interstate and global internships for undergraduate and postgraduate UWA students at not-for-profit, community and government organisations – to encourage students to develop active citizenship and give back to the community.
Mr Sheldrick said the Centre had continuously put forth some of the highest quality candidates for the internship at Global Citizen.
“The skills and perspectives brought by the interns along with their hard-work and dedication are invaluable assets to our work,” he said.