I hope to be selected for an internship position at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in XXXX to gain the most valuable experience in project coordination and increase my engagement with people from my family's land of origin, Iraq. As I see it, my most important qualification is my passion for helping refugees from my native land, all Iraqis, and Arab speakers, not just Kurds. Nevertheless, I keenly look forward to contributing to the diversity of your program as a young woman half European and half Kurdish. I have spent many years reading about events in my family’s homeland, the Kurdish areas of Iraq.
As an Austrian citizen with Kurdish roots, issues of cultural diversity, migration, and the situation of minorities, especially in Europe and most particularly XXXX, have captivated my priority attention for years, mainly because of the desperate and tragic cases of so many people suffering from and often fleeing violence in the Middle East and Central Asia. For most, if not all of them, desperately seeking safety in Europe, the past couple of decades have seen great struggle, migrancy, poverty, and the misery of refugee camps, and I have followed the stories of many of them. I am especially concerned with child refugees who are particularly vulnerable and need our support.
I have experience working on projects designed to help improve socio-cultural integration in the host society, XXXX, and caring for refugees, especially minors and unaccompanied minors. Currently a third-year Political Science major at the University of XXXX, I have completed courses in International Politics, the XXXX Political System, and the EU, as well as Culture and Politics, which helped me to think in a more in-depth and sophisticated fashion about foreign affairs, international relations, and the critical role of culture and its mediation as an integral part of social and immigration policy.
I have enormously enjoyed working with the Initiative for Minorities in XXXX. In this position, I have improved my research skills and learned to keep an open mind, always with a positive attitude. I thrive on building mutual trust and confidence and always making a genuine effort to relate well to all individuals and groups based on common ground. While working on a course project with the Museum of Applied Arts and the University of Applied Arts, I experienced art as a massive part of the focus and interest of young people and intrinsic to their way of communicating through the exchange of art.
We developed an educational concept based on the assumption that a welcoming environment in museums should be inclusive and must be actively created as a process in which refugees play an essential role and benefit from cultural enrichment and a sense of belonging in the welcoming nation and its culture. My colleagues and I worked hard in this program to bridge and negotiate cultural identities emergent among young migrants. Finally, as part of the association Train of Hope, I have experience serving as a language companion, helping refugees improve their essential communication ability in German and better understand cultural differences to facilitate their integration into XXXX society. I look forward to continuing to build upon my experience by giving my all to your internship program at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in XXXX. This privilege will go a long way to prepare me to make my real contribution to society and my people.
Thank you for considering my application.
Diplomatic Internship Personal Statement, Iraqi Kurd