Jean Qian | The Carter Center

Researching laws to implement best practices in nations worldwide

Jean Qian, a fourth-year student from Miami studying political science, has always known she wanted to be a lawyer — but she didn’t know what area of practice most interested her. That is, until she worked at The Carter Center as a Rule of Law intern during summer 2024.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who holds the title of University Distinguished Professor at Emory, established The Carter Center in Atlanta in 1982 in collaboration with the university.

“My internship at The Carter Center was so transformative and it introduced me to a field that I had not previously considered within international public interest law,” says Qian. “Public interest law attracted me but doing it in an international field and navigating different cultural contacts was not something I knew I could do within a legal profession.”

As an Emory student, one of Qian’s goals was to work at The Carter Center. In fact, she applied for an internship during her first year at Emory and did not get the role. It was a nice time capsule to look back on when she reapplied, and landing the internship was a refreshing reminder of the skills she’d built that she says helped her succeed.

During her time at The Carter Center, Qian conducted a literature review and led a stakeholder mapping process to inform research on women’s access to information in Bangladesh. Additionally, she helped author a grant application for Sierra Leone focused on working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence to obtain justice and navigate their cultural and legal systems.

“The whole point of the Rule of Law Program is to ensure people have access to justice and information,” says Qian. “So, these projects contributed to the goals of the program.”

She participated in a weekly series called Conscious Connections, which focused on racial and social justice topics and included speakers from all levels of leadership. Qian shared anecdotes about her own experiences as someone who struggled with housing insecurity and how Emory’s Case Management and Intervention Services supported her.

“It was great to cover those topics. At The Carter Center, we do all this work on the international scale about improving equity, and it was nice to know that within The Carter Center too, people are genuinely invested in caring about the people around them,” says Qian.

Reflecting on her internship, Qian appreciates mentors and others who helped her understand the profession.

“Speaking with so many people who worked in the space of international and transitional justice — who spent their whole careers preparing to work at The Carter Center — gave me a lot of insight into how to get into that position, and how to simultaneously balance work and life,” says Qian.

Elizabeth Fulton | Turner Classic Movies

Supporting your favorite classic films on television

A love of classic film brought Elizabeth Fulton to her internship with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Classic Movies television network as a brand marketing intern during the spring 2024 semester.

Fulton, a Woodruff Scholar and Oxford College continuee from Evans, Georgia, is studying creative writing and film. She served in a variety of roles at Turner Classic Movies, from copywriting to contributing materials for the TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles.

For the film festival, Fulton wrote and edited online and print content to introduce the films being shown and selected photos to accompany those writeups. While in Los Angeles, not only did Fulton get to see her work in action, but she also rubbed elbows with stars and directors including Alexander Payne, Billy Dee Williams and acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

“I got to see ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind,’ and Spielberg introduced the film and talked about it in the TCL Chinese Theatre in the middle of Hollywood,” says Fulton. “I got a lot of unique experiences at the festival, and it was also cool while I was there to have seen the back end of how that all came together.”

Fulton says she enjoyed the in-person element of her internship, which allowed her to explore a unique side of the entertainment industry.

“I’m interested in film from the side of writing and possibly development or agency roles, but it was a cool step out of my comfort zone,” says Fulton. “At the time, I was taking a marketing class in Emory’s Goizueta Business School as part of the film and media management concentration, so it was cool to see what I was learning in class being applied.”

She also recognized the value of the coworkers guiding her through the internship.

“The team that I worked for was really inspiring. They demonstrated strong teamwork despite a lot of industry changes. My supervisors were great mentors and very receptive to any questions I had about going into the film industry and about my post-graduation plans,” says Fulton. “I learned so much, and it was amazing.”

Fulton’s connection to Emory allowed her to create relationships with Warner Bros. Discovery staff even before her first day on the job.

“The person interviewing me did her master’s degree at Emory under Matthew Bernstein, who I had [for a class] at the time,” says Fulton. “It led to a great interview.”

On the precipice of graduation, Fulton says the internship with Turner Classic Movies also helped solidify her professional goals.

“Last year, I was not completely sure what I wanted to do in the film industry. You come in knowing about writers, directors and actors, but that’s about it,” says Fulton. “I enjoyed film marketing, and the talent aspect of festival planning encouraged me to look more into representation as a future career path. It was so valuable to get that kind of direction from the experience. It gave me a lot of context to go into future internships with.”

Fulton says the interdisciplinary experience at Emory helped prepare her for life after graduation.

“I’ve always felt challenged in my classes, and I’ve met a lot of professors at Emory who have guided my development. Having people to guide not only my craft as an artist but also in professional development has been amazing,” says Fulton. “I’ve also learned so much from my peers, who are just as academically engaged and innovative.”

Marc Goedemans | CDC Foundation

Communicating critical stories to support the nation’s public health system

Marc Goedemans, a fourth-year international studies and comparative literature student from Los Angeles, is no stranger to interviewing sources for articles. For the past two years, he has worked in various positions for The Emory Wheel.

Last summer, however, he moved into new territory as an intern interviewing major donors and contributors to the mission of the CDC Foundation, an independent nonprofit extending the work of the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is headquartered in Atlanta.

During his internship, he talked with major contributors to create stories for the CDC Foundation’s website and other publications to increase interest in their efforts to advance public health.

The experience combined his interests in journalism and global health research while helping expand his view of what a career in writing might look like.

“When I came to Emory, I was thinking that the only way to pursue a career in journalism was to work in a newsroom,” says Goedemans. “I didn’t realize that writing was such a broad career. Having the network and resources that Emory gave me allowed me to broaden my own definition of where I could apply my journalistic skills.”

Throughout his time at the CDC Foundation, he authored stories about individuals working in preventive healthcare, ethical leadership and applications of business principles to public health.

His most memorable article, though, was about Dr. Peter Drotman, current editor-in-chief of the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal at CDC. Drotman was a member of the first team to respond domestically to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Goedemans wrote about Drotman’s contributions and history with the CDC.

“I felt so privileged to have the opportunity to sit down and hear his story,” Goedemans says. “That was when the mission of the CDC Foundation made the most sense to me. I felt very invested in his story and thought it was worth sharing.”

When considering his next steps, Goedemans notes that the experience and education he’s gained at Emory are invaluable.

“I’ve been very proactive in seeking out the opportunities I’ve had. I wouldn’t have had those opportunities had I not been at Emory and if I hadn’t leaned into my classes for my major and looked for new opportunities to build on what I was learning in the classroom,” Goedemans says.  

“We’re lucky there is so much in the Atlanta area for us to learn from.”

Julia Nagel | Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Coordinating on behalf of a historic musical institution

Julia Nagel, a flutist, has explored a new aspect of her years-long love for music since January 2024: she serves as an intern in the development department of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO). The internship has been continuous, with Nagel only taking a break during the summer to intern with the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico.

As the only intern in the department, she holds lots of responsibility, from setting up dinners with donors and tracking responses to writing speech notes for the executive director. Her decision to apply to the position came from her flute instructor, who is the ASO’s principal flutist.

“At the beginning of my first year at Emory, she was talking a lot about her job, which inspired me to seek out opportunities there,” says Nagel, who came to Atlanta from Charlottesville, Virginia, and is studying music and philosophy, politics and law. 

Her story echoes that of many development staff members with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

“Most people grew up playing music and are like me. They went to a liberal arts school and got a very well-rounded education that didn’t only focus on music, and then decided that they wanted different career opportunities outside of playing their instruments,” says Nagel.

“Where I’m from, there isn’t a professional symphony in the area, and that was one reason why I chose Emory,” she explains. “Not only does Atlanta have a symphony, but it’s also a big city, so there are so many different opportunities that I might not have had if I’d gone to school in Virginia. I have access to the big city whenever I want.”

Earlier this year, Nagel was at the helm of planning a unique event inviting donors to an open symphony rehearsal. She was responsible for checking people in, creating signage for the event and serving as a resource for anyone who needed assistance.

“It’s really fun when you can see how the work you’ve been doing accumulates into something bigger,” says Nagel. “I got to meet so many people I was corresponding with, and they all seemed really excited about the event.”

As a fourth-year student, post-graduation jobs are already on Nagel’s mind. She says her time at the ASO will no doubt help her succeed in her first full-time role.

“This internship has given me the foundational knowledge and soft skills needed to be successful in arts administration,” says Nagel. “It will give me a leg up when I’m going into future roles because I already have experience that I can use to adapt to whichever organization I’m working for.”

Not only has her internship with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra prepared Nagel for her next steps — she also recognizes the value of those experiences paired with an Emory education.

“I learned to think critically through different lenses at Emory. With my major, I’m doing musical analysis and also having to pivot to more philosophical thinking and problem solving,” she says. “That has really helped grow my abilities to be analytical and think outside the box, which will be important to my future career.”

Jacqueline Martinez | Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

A world-class health care experience at Emory’s doorstep

When Jacqueline Martinez, a fourth-year nursing major from Chicago, came to Emory, she knew she wanted to work with children and families at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).

Lucky for her, CHOA’s Egleston campus (which recently moved a few miles down the road as the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital) was right next to Emory’s Atlanta campus. After meeting with Jeannie Weston, CHOA faculty advisor and assistant professor in the School of Nursing, Martinez got the news that she was accepted as an extern with CHOA’s pediatric elective program. For two months this summer, she worked on a neurology, endocrine and respiratory floor.

“CHOA’s value and mission aligned with the kind of nurse I aspire to be,” Martinez says. “I always hoped to be a part of that environment, especially given my passion for working with children and their families.”

As a patient care technician, she put her classroom knowledge to work. During the first half of her internship, she recorded vital signs, monitored intakes and outputs, tested glucose levels and supported daily patient care by giving baths, changing linens and feeding patients. During the second half of her internship, she served as a practicum student, learning how to manage patient assignments. She also received a PEARS (Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization) certification, completed Marcus Crisis Prevention Program training and presented a case study.

During her internship, Martinez was able to relay questions and concerns from Spanish-speaking families to their care teams. The experience motivated her to pursue her medical interpreting license, allowing Martinez to better support Spanish-speaking patients.

While she gained invaluable hands-on experience on the hospital floor, Martinez says her learning extended beyond nursing skills.

“I learned lessons about resilience and perseverance,” says Martinez. “As a first-generation college student, I sometimes grapple with imposter syndrome, feeling inadequate and out of place, which is overwhelming at times. As I progressed through my externship, I grew more confident in my clinical abilities and learned the importance of mentorship — my preceptors were incredibly encouraging and patient, allowing me the time to grasp complex concepts and pushing me to seek help when I needed it.”

Ava Herrin | High Museum of Art

Programming alongside some of the world’s most famous art

Ava Herrin connected her passion for leadership and admiration of art during her summer 2o24 internship at the High Museum of Art.

Herrin, who grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a fourth-year student studying film and media studies as well as sociology. She secured the internship through the Servant Leader Summer Internship Program, presented by the Ethics and Servant Leadership Program (EASL), a division of Emory’s Center for Ethics.

Herrin worked with the Community Dialogue and Engagement team, and, on Fridays, she and the other members of the Servant Leader Summer Internship Program convened to discuss what they were working on at their internships, frameworks of ethics and servant leadership, and how those principles had shown up in their work.

“The Ethics and Servant Leadership Program informed my interest in the High because they have a really direct focus on community engagement and a lot of the placement positions are related to that,” says Herrin. “My time at the High Museum was made possible exclusively through my experience at Emory.”  

Throughout the summer, Herrin contributed to a few major projects focusing on programming and organizing resources from past partnerships. She worked with Oasis, a mindfulness-centered art program at the High Museum, on partnerships and also day-of administration.

Herrin also worked on a community newsletter to keep attendees and museum staff informed of work being done across the museum.

“That was fun for me, to interview different people in the department and learn more about recent events or partnerships, and then also to present those in a way that people can learn from each other and be proud of the work they’re doing,” says Herrin.

Herrin’s favorite moments during her internship were seeing programs come to life.

“Being able to witness the work that you have put in come to fruition and be able to talk to people who are excited to be at the museum is gratifying,” says Herrin. “I’m seeing my work in front of me. And, I loved connecting to people that the work serves in a way that you just can’t do in a lot of jobs. It was really special for me and something I will hold on to.”

Herrin’s internship at the High Museum laid the groundwork for what a future career could look like.

“I learned that I want to go into a community-centric role, hopefully in an artistic establishment,” says Herrin. “I have a strong personal and academic interest in the arts, so getting to see what a career might look like in that field was very fulfilling. It made me more inclined to stay in Atlanta for a career after graduation, which is something that I didn’t expect. I got a good sense of what it might look like to live and work in Atlanta outside of going to school at Emory. I was able to see myself living here.”