Student of the State

Recent IR grad recalls internship at the U.S. embassy in Bern

While interning for the State Dept., Stewart spent a lot of time in Bern’s “Old Town,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Once the FBI showed up in her neighborhood, Jaclyn Stewart (’07) knew she had stepped into something larger than her typical Webster coursework.

Because the then-junior had applied for a State Department internship, the federal agents needed to ask her neighbors about her, check into her background, and make sure she was eligible for a U.S. embassy security clearance.

With nothing to hide, Stewart was cleared to take the eight-week internship as a public diplomacy intern at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland. The 2006 internship also counted as credit toward her integrated B.A./M.A. in International Relations from Webster, which she completed in May 2007.

“It was a terrific experience,” Stewart says. “As an embassy intern, you have open access to the ambassador, deputy chief of mission, and embassy staff. They are always willing to answer professional and personal questions about being a diplomat and being involved in the Foreign Service.”

Stewart’s daily activities in Bern involved assembling information about current events and distilling Swiss opinions on current issues, then passing it up the chain to the ambassador, who reports to Washington. To gather information, each day Stewart read five Swiss newspapers in French – a language she learned at Webster.

"One day Kurds are rallying in front of the embassy to
show support for U.S. policy. The next day Somalis are protesting proposed agricultural legislation by a congressman from Kansas.”

“The most valuable part of the internship,” Stewart says, “was participating in international relations and seeing foreign policy in action. This is very unique to the State Department because it is the vehicle of U.S. foreign policy around the world.”

Stewart saw that vehicle – and its repercussions – first-hand, as each day brought something new.

“The issues at the time included a bird flu outbreak, the World Economic Forum, Guantanamo Bay,” Stewart recalls. “But there is a lot going on – and a lot of demonstrations. One day Kurds are rallying in front of the embassy to show support for U.S. policy. The next day Somalis are protesting proposed agricultural legislation by a congressman from Kansas.”

The demonstrations usually weren’t a disruption, Stewart says. It certainly helped to have U.S. marines at the embassy and living in the embassy annex where she and the other three interns shared an apartment.

“The marines would tell us when not to go out because of demonstrations, or when not to wear our embassy badge because of protestors or security situations,” she says. “They were always on duty, so that was nice. We always felt very safe.”

Seeing the Rest of Europe
Stewart is now working toward her doctorate in political science, which will likely take four years. So she seized the opportunities that came with residing abroad.

“We traveled every weekend,” she said. “All around Switzerland, plus Paris, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Budapest. Actually, Monday mornings were pretty tough, since we’d take an overnight train on Friday and a return trip Sunday night.”

Despite the tax on her sleep, those travels helped complete the experience – one she highly recommends for any Webster international relations major.

“There were really three great elements to the experience,” Stewart says. “There was the cultural development from getting to know all the cultural intricacies. Then the great academic side of it, as well as the hands-on professional experience.”

Bern or Bust

Stewart first learned about State Department internships when a Foreign Service officer spoke at Webster’s Emerson Library. She completed the online application and selected Switzerland as her preferred destination partly because of her French language skills.

The Munster, Bern’s best-known church.

Still, when given a choice, she selected the embassy in the predominantly German-speaking Bern over French-speaking Geneva, reasoning that the chance to be one of four interns at the smaller Bern embassy would give her more opportunities.

“Going out on the streets of Bern without speaking German was a little intimidating,” she says. “But it was great to see Switzerland’s interesting mesh of three cultures, with the French, German, and Italian sections.”

It was an experience of a lifetime, and Stewart is grateful to Webster for helping her get there.

“Webster introduced me to the Foreign Service, equipped me with the academic knowledge to be a competitive candidate, and provided an immense amount of faculty support so I could fit the internship into my academic schedule and receive credit for my work,” she said.

Her only regret is that Webster’s new Global M.A. in International Relations had yet to launch when she arrived at Webster.

“Webster's combined degree program really saved me time, and the professors and Webster’s international focus make the program great,” she says. “So the new Global M.A., with the students studying at each international campus, that sounds perfect. That’s the epitome of Webster.”