Hyphen the World Virtual Internship in India
It was my junior year of college during the winter quarter, when I started to panic as all of my friends had internships and fellowships lined up for the summer while I had nothing. On a whim, I decided to join the Global Scholars program at UW Bothell to participate in a virtual study abroad program in India, to connect more with my heritage and gain hands-on experience in the healthcare field. I decided to join Haiyaa, an organization that focuses on uplifting women and sharing their experiences about assault and harassment.
I was a bit nervous to join the program as I did not have much experience with sexual assault or harassment myself. But, I still resonated with the cause and decided that I would help get the conversation going about women’s rights. My project was to interview women in both the US and India to see their thoughts about stigmas related to pre-marital sex, being sexually active, and how what they are wearing may affect a rape or assault. I was hesitant to ask these women at first because they did not know me beforehand and I believed that this topic was a lot to unload on someone who might not be comfortable sharing these experiences. However, a lot of these women did open to me and were okay with talking to me openly about how they are feeling.
Through interviewing these women, I realized how much misogyny and patriarchy they endure in both the US and India. Many women choose to ignore these stereotypes about how sex before marriage makes women unpure or how wearing short clothes can entice a man. Although they try their best to ignore these comments, they have internalized them and still choose to follow some of the stigmas that they face because they feel guilty if they don’t.
Within the four weeks that I got to intern with Haiyaa, I realized that I found the work that I am doing as meaningful and impactful. Although there were times where it was frustrating to schedule meetings and have them canceled last minute or have issues with time zones, the experience was worth it and I would not change it for anything. I realized that I can talk to other interns, my mentors, professors at UWB, etc for support and that I am never alone.
This experience made me open my eyes to the issues that are happening in India that don’t get talked about in the media and how I can help spread the conversation even though I am half way across the world. It also made me realize that I am interested in working in a nonprofit organization once I graduate college. To anyone who is debating about whether or not to pursue a study abroad program, I say go for it. It might be the push you need to figure out what kind of career you want to do or provide you with an amazing opportunity to meet a diverse group of interns and immerse yourself in a new culture that is foreign to your own.
