Blog

    Indiana’s relationship with China  Over the years Indiana has been maintaining and developing relationships with China. In 1987, the Hoosier state established a sister-state relationship with the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. Since then, many Indiana cities have followed the state’s lead by establishing sister-city relationships with cities in Zhejiang in Province and throughout China. Hoosier-Sino relations are enhanced furthermore by the many business relationships and University partnerships that exist in our community. Ms. Lei Wang, Project Manager – China, is responsible for planning and coordinating global strategic development programs and special projects, focused primarily on China,
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By Ashalyn Hardy, International Visitor Leadership Program Intern  The International Visitor Leadership Program is a program that is funded and administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is a professional exchange program designed to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries. As the IVLP intern, I work alongside Beth Barich to develop programs for IVLP delegations from all over the world. In this role, I have learned so much more than the technical aspects of programming for international leaders.This is what IVLP has taught me: changing the world, doing “great
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People always ask me what it’s like to be an intern at The International Center. Reading the description of the internship, I thought I knew what exactly I was going to be doing and I wouldn’t have any problem telling people what my day to day is like. Oh, how I was wrong! The great thing about being the protocol intern is that every day is different. One day we can be setting up flags for a visiting dignitary, and the next may be spent preparing for a cultural workshop and researching the cultural etiquette of another nation. Coming
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By Loren Rogers, Global Competency Intern I love my position as the Global Competency intern at The International Center. I am very grateful to be guided by my supervisor, Ansuyah Naiken. She has given me resouces and information that I will carry with me throughout my career. Everyone at The International Center is wonderful and wants to do nothing but help you with your career and see you succeed. Loren Most of what I do is prepare personalized cultural trainings for global and local companies here in Indianapolis. Many companies today communicate by email, phone, or social media instead
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By Austin Reno, Programs and Services Intern Every member of The International Center has their own story. A story that they have written over time, a story that they have gathered from various parts of the world, and a story that somehow connects with each of us in some way. You know, traveling creates a unique and special dynamic that is only relatable with people who have also “been there and done that”. What I mean by this is that there is a mentality, an attitude, and a passion to discover something other than what we are used to.
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By Tara Palmer, Floater Intern To say I’ve enjoyed my time at The International Center so far would be an understatement. As the Floater Intern, I am able to experience each department for two weeks at a time and work with each department head and their current intern. Tara My most memorable experience so far was getting the opportunity to guide a group of men from Bangladesh through Indianapolis and their day of meetings throughout the city.These seven men were here to be part of the International Visitor Leadership Program about Climate Change & Adaptation. I worked with Beth
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By Kathryn Cleary, Development Intern “Making my way downtown, walking fast, logos pass, I’m work bound. Staring at the cross walk ahead, just making my way, making my way, through the crowd.” This is the song that plays through my head every morning as I leave my parking garage and head into The Center, as the fall development intern. As strange as my little jingle may be, it oddly sums up what it’s like to be working in development! There are a few key things I have learned during my time here so far, observation, recognition, and execution. These
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By James Hennes, Project Manager China Intern Hello everyone, my name is James Hennes, and this is my first blog entry for The International Center! I work in the China Project Office with Project Manager Lei Wang. Lately, we’ve primarily been working on collaborative and consulting type projects for various Indianapolis clients in the higher education and the healthcare industries. We have worked on expanding our clients’ presence in China and forging stronger ties between Chinese organizations and Indiana. Last week, I also participated in my first naturalization ceremony. The International Center participates regularly in naturalization ceremonies at the
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By Akeira Jennings, ICY Intern This summer I had the privilege of being the International Citizen of the Year Award intern. Although I would like to think that I prepared myself for my internship through hours of research, I am now fully aware that I had no idea what lay ahead of me. K.D. and I volunteer as face painters at Polo At Sunset I have never considered myself an artist. While I’m sure my fellow interns would agree with that statement, I was able to test my artistic abilities this summer by volunteering as a face painter at
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By Christine Burns, IVLP Intern Did you happen to see a group of Belarusian librarians milling around St. Clair Street in front of the Indianapolis Central Library? How about the French prosecutor walking through the hall of the U.S. District Court? Did you notice the group from Bolivia heading down Meridian Street on their way to a meeting with the Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Harrison College? These international guests are part of the International Visitors Leadership Program that is administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. So, why are these visitors
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