Spotlight: Spring 2025 Learning Life Interns

Learning Life’s interns do vital work to grow our organization.  This spring, their work includes: assisting with in-person Democracy Dinners and gathering content and subscribers for our new, email DMV Democracy Dispatch launching this year; outreach to thousands of people on Facebook to help grow the Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) worldwide, identifying promising individuals among the 19,000+ members of FDI’s Facebook group, and gathering content and subscribers for our new, email Family Diplomacy Dispatch likewise launching in 2025; growing our Citizen Diplomacy International subscribers and bibliography; and more.  Learning Life is very grateful for their dedicated work.  You can learn a little about each of our interns below.

Mina Dakovic

Year, major, and school: I’m a senior majoring in Political Science and International Relations at Marymount University.

Hobbies: I enjoy running, working out, reading, and traveling. Exploring new restaurants, cafes, and small towns are my favorite activities during my free time.

Career aspirations: I aspire to have a career in international relations and become a diplomat. I believe that working for embassies, international organizations, and government agencies can provide valuable experience in this field. I am eager to explore opportunities that will allow me to represent my country on a global scale, while also remaining open to other possibilities in international relations.

Why Learning Life? I became interested in Learning Life after my professor, Dr. Margaret Tseng, recommended it as an exceptional internship opportunity. She shared insights from the experiences of previous interns, which piqued my curiosity.  After exploring the organization’s website, I was particularly impressed by the remarkable work they do. All three branches of Learning Life —diplomacy, education, and democracy — caught my attention. While they are all interconnected, I especially aimed to contribute to and learn from the Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI). My desire to help create a more compassionate and connected world through diplomacy and democracy is what ultimately led me to choose Learning Life. Organizations with missions like Learning Life’s are essential now more than ever!

Maridel De Los Reyes

Year, major, and school: I’m a sophomore majoring in Political Science and Philosophy at Columbia University.  I am also considering a minor in Physics.

Hobbies: I love listening to jazz and rock, running long distances, reading, knitting, and watching food documentaries!

Career aspirations: I am planning to pursue a Juris Doctor and become a lawyer.  I hope to practice in the criminal justice system and serve the community that raised me.  I am also interested in immigration and anti-trust law.

Why Learning Life?  After discovering Learning Life and its mission, I was intrigued by its novel approach to fostering a democratic community locally and globally. The mobilization of the family as a unit for learning and action struck me as a beautiful way to engage multiple generations in education and democracy. With the current state of democracy in institutions across the globe, I feel very strongly about supporting the fight to uphold democratic values and increasing fellow feeling in a world that is becoming increasingly polarized.

Luciné Gezalian

Year, major, and school: I am a senior at the University of California-San Diego, majoring in International Studies with a disciplinary focus on Political Science.

Hobbies: My hobbies include reading, working out, and baking. I especially enjoy reading fiction. Some of my favorite novels are The Secret History, Dracula, and Crime and Punishment. Health and fitness is important to me overall, and I love to bake banana bread to share with friends and family.

Career aspirations: After graduating, I plan on attending law school. I am most interested in business law and intellectual property law. I’d also love to work in academia one day and become a professor.

Why Learning Life? I was intrigued by Learning Life’s mission to build a more caring world, and fascinated by the Family Diplomacy Initiative. As an Armenian living in the diaspora, Learning Life’s focus on diplomacy and democracy resonated with me deeply. Armenia has encountered many challenges which threaten stability and democracy in the region, from the Armenian Genocide in 1915 to the Artsakh War in recent years.  As the region continues to confront threats that compromise diplomacy and democracy, engagement in both are essential to secure a peaceful future while building a caring world. Interning at Learning Life allows me to contribute to this mission in a meaningful way.

Adrián Mata
Year, major, and school: I am a first-year student studying International Relations at American University.
Hobbies: Listening to music and writing creatively are two of my favorite things to do in my spare time. On the music front, I want to have as diverse a playlist as possible, with songs ranging from Ray Charles and 20th-century folk music to modern-day rappers and ballads. In terms of writing, I can often times be found writing a poem in the vault of my notes app or reading the works of Charles Bukowski.
Career aspirations: My current professional pursuit is that of a diplomat with the U.S. State Department. I want to be a Foreign Service Officer and potentially work my way up to being an Ambassador for the United States. I have grown up with the opportunity to travel often and experience an abundance of cultures. Meeting people, learning of wondrous customs, and seeing beauty on an international scale has made me want to play my role in fostering global cooperation.  Beyond my desire to work in diplomacy, I want to return to academia at some stage in my life. It has been a long-burning passion of mine to teach at some level and spur growth in the next generation of students.
Why Learning Life? Learning Life’s main goals and initiatives focus on democracy, diplomacy, and education; three things that I hold dear to my heart.  I believe discussions surrounding democracy are beyond important in general, but even more so given the current political climate in the US and abroad. Being part of a team that focuses on establishing connections between people, cares about families and democracy on local and global levels, and believes education is a lifelong endeavor, is the place for me.
Estefanía Madrid Romero

Year, major, and school: I am a junior at Bowdoin College, majoring in Psychology with a focus on Neuropsychology, and minoring in Visual Arts.

Hobbies: My favorite things to do are reading, solving puzzles, and playing card games with my friends, like Slap Jack and Speed. I also enjoy doing photography.  My favorite is black-and-white film photography.  The best part about it is getting to process the film in the darkroom.

Career aspirations: I am interested in Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology, and Neuropsychology.  After college, I plan on working abroad to get hands-on experience and a broader perspective before continuing my education. Hopefully, this experience will help me decide if I want to follow a medical path with Psychiatry or Neuroscience, or if I want to attend graduate school for Clinical Psychology or Neuropsychology. Psychiatry is interesting to me because of its combination of medicine and mental health, while Neuroscience interests me because of its focus on brain functions. The thing that captivates me about Clinical Psychology is its emphasis on therapy and assessment, while Neuropsychology is interesting because of its focus on cognitive function and brain disorders. Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to understanding and improving mental health for all.

Why Learning Life? I chose to intern with Learning Life because of its emphasis on education, social impact, and global engagement. As someone who is interested in the mental health field, I appreciate the opportunities that expand my understanding of human behavior, communication, and community building. Learning Life’s commitment to creating meaningful connections with people across different cultures through education and outreach directly aligns with my goal of understanding the societal influences on mental health. As someone who does not live in Washington, DC, the remote aspect of the internship is helpful since it allows me to balance my studies while also managing the internship. I particularly enjoy how working in small teams and directly engaging with leadership broadens my knowledge about nonprofit organizations and project management.

Keira White
Year, major, and school: I am a third-year undergraduate student from the University of California-Santa Cruz, double majoring the Politics and Ethnic Studies.
Hobbies: In my free time I love to sing and perform. I have been an active member of Acquire Accapella since my Freshman year and love the friendships and connections I have made through that group. When I’m not singing or performing you can probably find me at a cafe drinking a coffee or lounging at the beach.
Career aspirations: Following my experience studying abroad in Marseille, France I was very inspired to pursue a career in international relations with a particular interest in international education. After graduating I hope to work for an international education or development organization and get some work experience under my belt before returning to school to obtain my Master’s and possibly my Ph.D.  Ultimately, I see myself teaching or doing research in the international sphere, exploring the world, and gaining valuable life experience through my adventures.
Why Learning Life? I chose Learning Life because I really resonated with its mission and values. I was raised by two high school teachers, so the importance of education, connection, and conversation has been something ingrained in my head. When I learned about the kind of work Learning Life is doing it aligned with a lot of my personal values and I appreciated that someone was doing this sometime frustrating, but valuable and meaningful work.