Treat Schubert was awarded a virtual internship to work with the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle for winter quarter 2021. He shares his experiences working with the Consulate:
As an intern for the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle, I was fortunate enough to take my first step into the world of diplomacy even among the restrictions brought on by the current pandemic. I sat in on policy meetings, observed the day-to-day workings of Canadian diplomatic missions, and reported on the impact of current events in the Pacific Northwest on Canadian interests. As an American-Canadian raised in Washington State, these reports gave me opportunities to learn about topics I was already interested in, then to take them one step further and demonstrate their relevance to Canada. This opened my perspective to the range of topics that concern the relations of nations like Canada and the United States, and more specifically provinces and states like British Columbia and Washington State. Additionally, due to the internship being entirely online, I learned to navigate working virtually for a government mission and the security processes that come with it. Although I would have preferred to commute and work in person, it cannot be stressed enough how much more I learned by working virtually. This is not to say the internship was all work and no play: I was able to join a few trivia sessions through Zoom, and got to know the staff of the mission better in a more casual way (even though I did not get many questions right). Every member of the Consulate I interacted with was encouraging and helpful, and made me feel all the more hopeful about a career in diplomacy. I am grateful to have had this experience and look forward to potentially interning at the Consulate again this summer.
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The International Learning Assignment Program (virtual internship) provides interns with an opportunity to learn about Canada-U.S. relationship from Canadian diplomats and governmental affairs experts. Interns will engage in political and economic research, support policy development and advocacy efforts, and think creatively and practically about digital diplomacy.
The International Learning Assignment is a partnership between the Consulate General of Canada, Seattle; the Canadian Studies Center in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington (UW); and, UW’s Career and Internship Center.