2022-2023 GTE Participants
Charlotte Andreano
Organization: Fortune Society
“My internship at the Fortune Society allowed me twice weekly to go beyond Columbia’s walls and apply myself in the greater New York City community. I’m grateful to Columbia’s GTE for the opportunity to work in a non-profit environment, which challenged me to investigate solutions (practical, creative, large, and small) to the pressing issues of homelessness and food insecurity.”
Clara Hua
Organization: For the Many
“My GTE experience with For The Many gave me, alongside peers who share the same passion to make a concrete impact for our community, the opportunity to understand the issues that shape New York and the lives of its people. In addition, I was able to see hands-on how our everyday actions—often small—can come together as a way to voice opinions that lead to the enactment of change at legislative levels.”
Safiya O’Brien
Organization: African Services Committee
“I am immensely grateful to the GTE program for giving me the opportunity to work with the African Services Committee, an organization that embodies the spirit of compassion and dedication. I found myself serving as a bridge for undocumented immigrants and asylum-seekers settling in New York, providing crucial assistance and support during a time of uncertainty. My time here has left an indelible mark on my heart. I will carry the lessons learned and the connections made with me on my journey, and I’m excited to see how they will shape my future endeavors.”
2021-2022 GTE Participants
Trey Greenough
Organization: Fortune Society
“The GTE internship program allowed me to gain firsthand experience into what it was like to work with a non-profit organization on a cause that is near and dear to my heart. This reaffirmed my academic interests and helped focus my professional goals by exposing me to the kind of work I’d like to do in the future. My experience was both transformational and fun!”
Pablo Torres Rey
Organization: African Services Committee
“I’m incredibly grateful for everyone at CGT because they facilitated my entrance into ASC, a wonderful organization that allowed me to help people through my own abilities and background. I would recommend GTE to anyone willing to construct long-lasting projects with a high level of social engagement.”
2020-2021 GTE Participants
Peter Chen
Organization: African Services Committee
“Our politics, actions, and inaction, have consequences on people everywhere in a ripple effect that is easy to forget if we close our eyes.”
Sofia Downing
Organization: Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson
“As a volunteer for Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, I advanced their goal of passing critical laws to help working New Yorkers, such as Healthcare for All, Affordable Housing for All and Unemployment Benefits for everyone unemployed.”
Cameron Nelson
Organization: African Services Committee
“I think that the program offered a fantastic opportunity for students to work closely with impactful organizations in their community and gain hands-on experience in volunteer work.”
Claire Schweitzer
Organization: African Services Committee
“Through emphasizing the service aspect of service learning, GTE showed me how I can improve my relationships with others and myself, all through an internship experience.”
2018-2019 GTE Participants
Darwin Arias
Organization: Operation Exodus
“The Global Thought Experience [program] allowed me to indulge in conversations about the immigrant experience in the United States alongside my peers interning at other organizations across New York City. Through my experiences tutoring first-generation youth in Washington Heights, I found ways in which I could aid the struggle of children from families with low-income immigrant backgrounds navigate the American education system.”
Hana Mangat
Organization: Operation Exodus
“GTE was the perfect way for me to be engaged with local communities off campus. I learned that to be a global citizen, and moreover an ally, means to listen to the concerns of community members and take advantage of whatever resources you have available to you to help them. The connections I made at GTE and the lessons I learned were invaluable and an integral part of my first year at Columbia.”
Stephanie Nino de Rivera
Organization: Kids in Need of Defense
“As a GTE participant, I had the amazing opportunity to assist Kids in Need of Defense as a Non-Legal Intern. Having this internship as a first-year student granted me the opportunity to explore a career field of interest early on. My GTE experience helped me gain a better grasp of the challenges immigrant communities face, and it has equipped me to become a better advocate for immigrants. I am extremely thankful for the valuable learning opportunities GTE offered and highly recommend the program to everyone!”
2017-2018 GTE Participants
Jessica Bennett
Organization: Immigration Equality
“One of the unique things about GTE is that it has experiential learning at its core. Participating in the program for two semesters granted me an educationally enriching opportunity to apply my immigration studies to explore the challenges confronting a non-profit immigration organization in New York City. My time at Immigration Equality has been integral to learning about the effects of changing US asylum policy on vulnerable people.”
Alida Pitcher-Murray
Organization: Immigration Equality
“Through GTE I had the opportunity to work with Immigration Equality, a nonprofit legal aid organization that helps members of the LGBTQ community seek asylum in the United States. Not only was I exposed to the ways in which the law can aid those who are fleeing persecution abroad, but I was also able to contribute to specific cases by researching country conditions. I am so grateful to the Immigration Equality team and the immigrants they serve for this incredible experience.”
Spring 2017 GTE Participant
Hung Le Quoc Nguyen
Organization: Immigration Equality
“Not only was I given a chance to bring my classroom knowledge to work with professionals on global issues, the program has also tremendously informed my future research by exposing me to real-life experience and practice.”