Activities
Internships in Asia
Various summer internship opportunities are available to students in China, as well as other countries in Asia. This summer, Danny McMurtrie, a sophomore Finance and Chinese major interned at the Jun He Law Firm in Beijing. Jun He Law was one of the first private law firms in China, and is currently one of the largest law firms in the country. Danny is working in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department, primarily on arbitration cases. His work involves interpreting legal contracts to ensure proper legal citations. Having only studied elementary Chinese, Danny finds this challenge both rigorous and rewarding. His language proficiency is improving drastically thanks to the help of his mentors Mr. Tibor Baranski and Mr. Liu Ge.
Another recently created position is with Caixin Media, a media group with a financial and business focus. Michael Sabella, a senior, performed translations between Chinese and English, polished English articles, and conducted high-level English-language research to support staff members. He also attended press conferences at the Polish Embassy and Tsinghua University and produced articles. Students in this position gain valuable insight into the workings of an international media group and are able to practice their own journalism skills. Other students held internships at IBM’s China research lab and Cummins in Beijing, as well as Allbright Law in Shanghai, the Far Eastern Group headquartered in Taipei, and an array of financial institutions throughout East Asia (Note: Jeff Fisher, president of the Notre Dame Club in Hong Kong, helps to arrange dozens of internships each summer.) The Asia Office is working with Notre Dame’s Career Center and Corporate Relations to increase the array of internship opportunities throughout Asia.
Deanna Kolberg represents Roots & Shoots at a networking event
Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International studies also places students in China for eight week internships. This summer, Anne Huntington, a senior, volunteered through World Teach, a non-profit NGO that “provides opportunities for individuals to make a meaningful contribution to international education by living and working as volunteer teachers in developing countries.” She taught English in a local school in Hunan Province of China and engaged in other community projects. Yun Jung (Eunice) Kim, a sophomore, interned at the Dongba Center of Compassion for Migrant Children, a non-profit organization in Beijing that aims to improve the lives of children of migrant workers. Kim assisted with developing publication materials, organize surveys and manage volunteers. She also tutored Korean and English in summer programs, as well as assisting in organizing recreational activities. A third placement for students is the Hutong School in Beijing. Deanna Kolberg, a sophomore, worked with the Jane Goodall Institute of China, in their Roots & Shoots program, an environmental and animal welfare action program for students. She helped develop their annual report, worked on promotional materials, translated information, and represented the organization at various events. She also assisted with the R&S summer program, where she led an activity at an organic farm outside of Beijing.
