Intern Spotlight: Claudia Merlos

This is the second in a series of spotlights on our summer 2017 student interns.  Learning Life’s students this summer are assisting with research, curriculum development,  outreach, and family and youth events for our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI).  Claudia Merlos, interviewed below, is assisting with curriculum development, international learning activities with our youth, among other things. 
Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Washington, DC.

Claudia MerlosWhat school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?

I am a graduating senior at Trinity Washington University in DC, studying human relations, which is a combination of psychology and sociology.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, getting in a good workout at the gym, or playing soccer.

Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you as a person thus far?  If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?  

A life experience that has helped shaped me as a person thus far is having grown up in both El Salvador and the United States. I lived with my grandparents in El Salvador from age 4 to 7.  I have only gone back once since, but I have acquired a good amount of knowledge and experience of both American and Salvadoran culture by living in a Salvadoran home, where we speak Spanish only and regularly eat Salvadoran food, but also participating in American culture outside home through school, work, soccer and volunteering.

What are your career plans?

After college, I plan to do local and international volunteer work with other non-profits then I hope to work as a human resources officer for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.  Further in the future, I plan to open my own nonprofit organization that helps lower-income Salvadoran families.

Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?

I chose to intern with Learning Life because I wanted to explore my career options as well as network and improve my communication skills.

What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?
The most beautiful place I have been to on Earth is Shenandoah State Park in Virginia.  Walking up to the highest peak at sunrise or at sunset to see the mountains, trees, the cities far away and their lights, while breathing in the pure air, it’s really breathtaking!

Intern Spotlight: Temilola Afolabi

This is the first in a series of spotlights on our summer 2017 student interns.  Learning Life’s students this summer are assisting with research, curriculum development,  outreach, and family and youth events for our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI).  Temilola Afolabi, interviewed below, is helping with our events, research on U.S. racial inequality, curriculum on world geography, human rights, youth activism and the United Nations, among other things.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland.

I am a sophomore at the University of Maryland-College Park. I plan to major in international relations, with a minor in international development and conflict management.

Temilola Afolabi

In my free time I enjoy taking photos of my friends and family.  I love the freedom of expression that photography gives and use my camera regularly to document cultural events on campus.  I also enjoy keeping up on current events, especially those dealing with international relations.

Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you as a person thus far?  If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?  

Joining the University of Maryland’s African Student Association (ASA) my freshman year significantly impacted my life thus far.  I grew up in a predominantly white community, therefore, I was not exposed to much cultural diversity.  ASA exposed me to a new community of diverse students, forging new friendships, and deepening my cultural awareness.

What are your career plans?

After I graduate from UMD, I plan on working with the Peace Corps for a couple of years, and ultimately work for the military doing counterterrorism.

Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?

One of the things I plan on doing in my future career is working with children and liberated child soldiers in developing countries. Because Learning Life works with lower-income families in different parts of the world, I knew it would be a great first step in gaining experience in the field of international relations.

What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?

I have yet to travel outside the USA, but the most beautiful place I’ve been to in the United States is Bellingham, Washington.  There was one specific port that overlooked the bay and the scene of evergreen trees lining the water with low-hanging clouds was one of the most majestic scenes I’ve ever seen.

Seeking Fluent Arabic Volunteers for International Dialogues

Learning Life seeks fluent speakers of Arabic in metro Washington D.C. to help with language interpreting from English to Arabic and vice versa for our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI).  

ArabicCDI engages lower-income American families in Washington D.C. in live internet dialogues and project collaborations with lower-income families in other nations to nurture more caring and capable global citizens.  We are currently completing a photovoice project which is engaging nine families in DC, Dakar (Senegal) and Jerash (Jordan) in photo-taking in answer to the question “what is the past, present and future of your community?”

Our live dialogue interpreters translate the families’ and Learning Life moderator’s words as they proceed with their live dialogues during the course of their project together.  The dialogues typically occur via Skype in public libraries in DC 1-2 times per month on Saturday or Sunday early afternoons DC time, and after dinner in Jerash, Jordan.  The time commitment is about 4-6 hours per month, or 2-3 hours per dialogue, including about 1.5 hours for the live dialogue (where the live language interpreting happens) plus preparatory and reflective discussion in English before and after the dialogue led by a trained Learning Life moderator.

This volunteer opportunity is a valuable way to practice your live interpreting skills while helping to nurture mutual understanding between Americans and Arabs through an innovative citizen diplomacy program.  Fluency is a must, and native Arabic speakers are preferred.

Interested volunteers should contact us at email@learninglife.info.  Please include your resume, and a brief email explanation as to how you learned to speak Arabic fluently.

Thank you for your interest!

Watch: Third Citizen Diplomacy Initiative Video!

Learning Life’s third video about our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative is now out!  This video is 3 minutes long, and features our founder, Paul Lachelier, explaining CDI’s project-based learning and photovoice project.

This video was put together by Andrew Jorgensen, a talented senior in film and video studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.  Andrew interned with Learning Life this spring semester, and this video is one of four he produced.  All our videos are on our Youtube channel.  Click here to see the videos.

Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative engages lower-income American families in live internet dialogues and project collaborations with lower-income families in other nations to nurture more caring and capable global citizens.  Learn more here.