UNAIR NEWS – Ariel Syalia Prananda, a Communication student at Universitas Airlangga shared her insightful internship experience at the United Nations in Indonesia. She pursued the 4-month internship during her final year.

During her internship, Ariel works as a teaching assistant in the Department of Communication at Universitas Airlangga. Currently, she is now working on her thesis.

“I’m doing an internship at the UN Information Center (UNIC) in Jakarta. UNIC is an agency under the UN in Indonesia that works in the field of communication. It informs the public on the United Nations’ activities,” she told UNAIR NEWS, on January 4, 2024.

Selection

Before being hired as a Public Information Intern, Ariel went through a selection. However, the selection was conducted in the middle of the Community Service Program (Kuliah Kerja Nyata – KKN).

“I went through the selection and interview while I was participating in the KKN. I didn’t expect much, because the interview was conducted in a remote village with no cell service. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I passed and got the internship opportunity,” she said.

She was always interested in interning with the UN because of her passion for humanitarian concerns. “I want to work at the UN because what the organization does has a significant impact on a lot of people. Furthermore, the UN is the right place for me to pursue my interests and aspirations,” she said.

Practicing theories

Ariel believed that internship allows students to practice the theories they learned in class. She gained many valuable experiences, one of which was learning from professionals.

“As the only intern in the office, I had to connect more with staff from various ages and cultural backgrounds. I tried to adjust to people from other countries who work at the UN,” she said.

She felt lucky and challenged, at the same time, because when she joined, the UN was carrying out important projects. These agendas gave her unique experiences for her future career.

“One of the challenges was, when I first joined, the UN was executing important programs, like the ASEAN Summit, the Palestine and Israel war, the Rohingya refugees, and the UNESCO Youth Forum featuring K-pop group SEVENTEEN. I learned to be more tolerant, I received a lot of feedback from professionals. I also gained an insight into the career prospects of working in this field,” Ariel said.

Author: Adinda Aulia Pratiwi

Editor: Nuri Hermawan