Michelle Allain got the call on April 1, but it was no joke.
That was the day Allain learned she had been accepted as an intern with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. In January she will head to Geneva for two months, with the possibility of a third.
Currently, the 22-year-old Barrie native is working on a master’s degree in the Faculty of Health Sciences in the area of health care ethics. She hopes to graduate in the fall of 2010. This fall and next spring she will be interning at St. Joseph’s Hospital, researching how policies are put into practice.
Last year Allain caught the travel bug during an overseas trip with a friend. On her return she thought “How can I work it so that I can do some more travelling?”
This led to researching opportunities and eventually discovering the internship in Geneva. She almost didn’t apply, but was encouraged by her supervisor, Ken Kirkwood, a professor in Health Sciences.
“And I’m glad I did,” she says. She feels lucky for the support she has received, especially from the dean’s office and Kirkwood.
Kirkwood has great praise for his student. While he and the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Jim Weese, wrote letters of support, he says “she found this opportunity herself and we encouraged her”. He says her modest demeanour conceals a bright, gifted self-starter who will bring great things to WHO’s operations.
According to the World Health Organization’s website “WHO’s Internship Programme provides a wide range of opportunities for students to gain insight into the work of WHO. Every year a limited number of places for internships are available.”
Allain says the application process is competitive. As well as experience in the field they are working in, the applicant must be “fluent in the working language of the office of assignment.” Allain’s ability to speak French will be a great asset.
The program is intended to provide practical experience, as well as career and personal development. She hopes to bring back ideas and new methods of analysis. As she notes, it could even lead her to a completely different path.
Kirkwood says that Allain will be looking at things from a global perspective and “will bring back a truly global understanding of the ethics issues we face.”
Allain looks forward to experiencing the city and surrounding area. She says that Geneva is an international hub for several organizations and each one has an intern or exchange program. This gives rise to a multicultural environment full of young, career-oriented people, like herself. Since she got the word, an excited Allain has been busy researching accommodations and funding opportunities.
With her positive outlook and determination, no doubt she will. Hopefully, she will also have an opportunity to achieve another of her goals in Switzerland – to do some skiing.
The writer is a staff member for the Professional and Managerial Association and a contributor to Western News.
