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Freeman Intern Fellows Student Voices

Students describe their experiences in their own words

Curious about the transformative journeys of our Freeman Intern Fellows?

Explore more on our Instagram, or simply scroll down to watch videos, read blog posts, and see comments from past interns.

Rameen Sajjad '25
rameen-sajjad_500.jpgMajor: Business Analytics and Data Science
American Indonesian Exchange Foundation

I have loved meeting new people, knowing their perspective of politics, religion and their thoughts of countries around the world. I have heard their version of what sustainability, brotherhood, daily practices, and environment means to them. Being able to meet people from the United States who are in Indonesia for research, English Teaching, and scholarships has also ingrained knowledge. I got to meet people from the US Embassy in Indonesia, too. All of it has made me discover that I can combine my leadership skills with data analytics to be a part international development.

Prestin Tran '26

Prestin Tran '26 was a Freeman Intern Fellow at the Institute for National Policy Research in Taipai, Taiwan.

At the end of his internship, he recorded a two-minute video of his impressions of the experience and what he observed and learned during his time in Taiwan.

Ava Echard

ava-echard-25-equal-asian-foundation-bangkok-thailand_400.jpgAva Echard ‘25
Major: International Relations
Equal Asia Foundation, Thailand

I definitely learned a lot about the non-profit field and I do think that would be a field that I am interested in pursuing going forward. It has definitely influenced by interest in looking at program assistant or program officer positions in NGOs after graduation because I really enjoyed the research and project work that we did at Equal Asia.*

It also enhanced my interest in global health and in labor rights, which are both fields I would be interested in exploring further. Personally, the internship increased my confidence with living alone and navigating a new culture alone. I would definitely be more interested and comfortable with traveling alone in the future. I feel like learning to comfortably spend time by myself was one of the greatest things that I could have done for my self-confidence. I really want to return to Asia and do some more traveling!

[Equal Asia is a rights- based innovation incubator. They design and test solutions that advance LGBTI+ inclusion and support community organisations who work toward a more equitable future for all.]

Redeit Hailu

redeit-haulu-2.jpgRedeit Hailu ’24
We Women Foundation
Chiang Mai, Thailand

This Fellowship was really great in helping me narrow down where I want to work within the field of Global Development, and how I want to plan my career trajectory. Living in Chiang Mai and meeting people through We women and my own channels has been very insightful and taught me a lot about a region I had little familiarity with. These individuals who have worked in the field for decades both locals and Westerners shared very valuable advice and wisdom about pursuing work in this field. This internship has prepared me for life post-grad more than anything else I've done. It has grown me in new ways and also taught me a lot about myself. Coming into this new city alone and working a remote position was daunting but believe that it forced me to be independent in ways I hadn't before. I learned how to be in community with those from different generations and how to humbly and culturally appropriately carry myself when conducting development work as a foreigner. After this experience, I walk away very confident in my ability to navigate new environments by myself, with a clearer understanding of the work I want to pursue in the future, and with a love for a region of the world I knew little about a year ago.

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Freeman Intern Fellow Blogs

Layne O'Connell '25 (left) and Morgan Peden '27 (right) were Freeman Intern Fellows for Global Playground in Thailand. They wrote blogs about their experiences teaching English at Mae La Noi Daroonsik Secondary School.

Layne O'Connell's blog

Morgan Peden's blog

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(L-R) Ying Liu, Associate Director of Global Partnerships; Catherine Zimmermann '25, Megan Cressy '25, and USAID CHANGE Component Lead Don Parafina

Catherine Zimmermann '25

Catherine Zimmermann '25 was a Freeman Intern Fellow at CHANGE: Cities for Enhanced Governance and Engagement, Quezon City, Philippines. CHANGE is a USAID-funded five-year activity designed to support strengthened democratic governance in the Philippines by making local governance more responsive.

She recorded a short video of her impressions of her experience in the Philippines. 

Watch Catherine's Video
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Livia with her supervisor Vern Sison at Philippine Social Science Council, Quezon City, Philippines.

Livia Martinez ’25

This has been an incredible opportunity and I am so grateful to have been chosen for something as memorable as this opportunity. This has helped me reevaluate a lot of my study abroad and after graduation options and I am not set on what I want to do, but I definitely would like to live overseas for a bit. It was daunting to move across the world, but through Freeman, I felt more comfortable taking this leap of faith. I understand this part of the world so much better now and I will be able to bring so much back to campus and my personal life in the USA because of it. I have also started journaling and attempting to stay in the presence every day, which has made my anxiety decrease a ton since I’ve been here! It’s been great and I will miss Manila a lot.