We are happy to introduce everyone to our new intern Zoe Oreopoulos. For the next five months Zoe will support our STTP activities.
My name is Zoe Oreopoulos and I am very happy to have just begun my internship for the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation in Switzerland. I was born in New York City to a German mother and a Greek father. After a few years we moved to Athens, Greece, where I spend the first part of my education at the German School and had the opportunity to meet people from various countries and cultures. After 8, mostly sunny years, me and my family, that now included a younger sister and brother, undertook another big step and moved to Hamburg, Germany - much less sunny but still great.
Now I am living in Berlin where I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree in American Studies and Gender Studies at the Humboldt University. Besides my studies, I am also working as an assistant for a TV production company, a field that I would like to pursue in the future. Though I must admit that my initial interest in the University was sparked by its beautiful building and the idea of living in a colorful city like Berlin, both my chosen majors have strengthened my interest in topics that I was passionate about before as well. Literature, political and societal issues, as well as women ́s, minority, and LGBTQ+ rights have always been very important to me, and I am always excited to learn more about them. Growing up in three different countries, with three different languages and three different cultures, I experienced firsthand the need to discuss these issues on a global scale.
I believe that this is the reason why one of the friends to the foundation suggested that I might find its work compelling and should try to engage with it. And he was right. During my research about the foundation, I realized that human rights, as well as the lives and agendas of its activists, only played a very small part in my own secondary school education. Most of the time it was used as an interesting side note that was mixed into a long monologue. This only occurred to me when I began being confronted with human rights issues and the activism surrounding it on a daily basis. It is also what I found so interesting about the foundation ́s efforts, because it does work towards solving exactly this issue. The concept of taking a serious subject, such as this one, and turning it into an interactive and fun learning experience is what really stood out to me. This approach teaches kids to understand other people experiences and be active while doing so.
I am very motivated to learn about how the foundation approaches its plans to bring students and human rights together, what the organizational side is like and how obstacles are handled and removed. During my internship I hope to get a fresh perspective on human rights, one that is maybe a little different from the narrative that I have discussed at my university. I am really happy about getting to know and work with exciting people, challenging myself with tasks that I haven’t had the opportunity to undertake before and gaining more knowledge about the inner workings of a human rights foundation. Overall, I am looking forward to a few interesting, educational, and fun months and hope, that I will be able to come and visit Zurich at some point during my time with the foundation.