Students in Inaugural Cohort of GW’s Humanitarian Internship Program Showcase Their Work

Authored by:

Even as a child, Sarah Strolger wanted to help the disadvantaged. She remembers giving her winter coat to someone she thought needed it more. "I would give things to random people," Strolger said. "I wanted to give shoes away, too. My mother said, 'I'm happy you're helping people, but you can't give away your winter coat.' She was very angry."

Flash forward to now, when Strolger is a junior in the Elliott School of International Affairs and a member of the inaugural cohort of students awarded summer internships through the George Washington University's Humanitarian Internship Program (HIP). Strolger's internship was in the Silver Spring offices of A Wider Circle, an organization working to advance equity in the greater Washington, D.C., region. Her major project was creating a curriculum for youth interested in activism to improve life in their community.

HIP provides GW undergraduate and graduate students with 10-week, full-time paid internships at leading humanitarian organizations. The program received support from the President's Fund for Excellence (PFFE)-a discretionary fund that enables GW President Ellen M. Granberg to direct money where it can have a strong impact. Other initiatives supported by the fund include the Tanya Vogel Endowed Scholarship for GW student athletes, as well as a commitment to matching funds of gifts to student organizations.

Interns are paid a stipend from the university, made possible through the generosity of donors, to support their work in the humanitarian sector. The inaugural cohort of 20 GW students partnered over the summer with eight organizations and the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. They showcased their work in a poster session hosted by The Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE) on Oct. 3. The event was also an opportunity for interested graduate and undergraduate students to learn about applying for the summer 2026 cohort.

Yoomin Choi, a rising junior pursuing a B.S. in international affairs and information systems and technology management, partnered with Engineers Without Borders, doing volunteer engagement work.

"I got to work with like Tableau, Salesforce and Excel, which were new platforms to me," Choi said. "And I was able to grow my communication skills by working with volunteers of all ages."

Philip Yamoah Appiah, a graduate student studying health data science at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, worked with Project HOPE, an international organization working in more than 60 countries. He was tasked with strengthening the organization's health data management system, finding ways to efficiently channel data from local service centers to the regional, national and global level, thereby ensuring quality health data.

Ellie Arca, pursuing an M.A. in international development, worked as a fundraising intern with World Central Kitchen, founded by José Andrés, also the founder of GW's Global Food Institute.

"I was in the development division, where I supported the donor relations team across their corporate, individual and community portfolios, as well as the development operations team," Arca said. "I learned how storytelling can attract donations and support the organization's mission. I also learned how to use Salesforce and cleaned a lot of data. It was a very productive summer."

Jasmine Evans, a junior in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, worked on a variety of different projects with A Wider Circle. One of her duties was designing flyers using Canva.

"I had never used Canva before," Evans said. "I like it. I'm going to be using it to create more invitations." One day, she may use it to craft invitations to a job celebrating landing the nursing position she hopes for.

Dozens of people, including Granberg, attended the poster showcase, held in the Continental Ballroom of the University Student Center. Granberg has expressed pride in the students participating in HIP and extolled the program for empowering them to work for positive change.

Several members of the GW Board of Trustees were involved in supporting the initial HIP cohort. The students will host a similar poster session for the full board during its next meeting.

Joaquin Suazo, a student pursuing an LL.M. in business and finance law at GW Law, joined a friend and came to learn about humanitarian internship projects. Christopher Heredia, a senior majoring in international business, attended after finding the event on GW Engage.

"I have a lot of friends who are international students," Heredia said, "and it's hard for them to get an internship. And HIP does offer internships for international individuals, so I will definitely be relaying that information."