Hear From Our Scholars

The SHE-CAN staff chatted with scholar Assumpta Gasana, junior at Bucknell University, about her summer internship with the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) in Kigali. RHA is an institution that was established by the Ministry of Infrastructure to ensure the implementation of national housing, urbanization, construction and government assets management policies. As a civil engineering major, this internship is a good fit for Assumpta’s career aspirations because she hopes to use her education to  contribute to Rwanda’s economic growth and participate in Rwanda’s infrastructure development.

After a whole year of studying, SHE-CAN scholars are now having fun, while also gaining work experience during their summer breaks. Most are participating in internships in the U.S. and some are back in their home countries. It has been almost two months since I started my internship with an investment group in San Francisco. It has been one of the greatest experiences. ​Two of my SHE-CAN sisters, Sreytom and Vuochnear, are completing their internships in NYC and Washington, D.C. The three of us always wanted to travel together, but we are always busy with studying and the only time that we could be together is during SHE-CAN’s Leadership Training. 

​During my first year of college, the idea of living abroad and finding a sense of belonging fascinated me. From an international student’s perspective, it can sometimes be really hard to create new relationships and define belonging. However, one way I’ve learned to deal with this is by becoming involved in campus groups and leadership activities. Besides trying to excel in my academics, I strive to participate in as many leadership and community engagement opportunities as I can. To achieve this, I have joined student organizations that have made significant impacts on my personal and academic journeys at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. 

Hello! My name is Sinet Kroch and I’m writing from Kdeb Thmor, the HALO Trust (HALO) training center in Banteay Meanchey province.I have been spending my summer undertaking an internship in rural Cambodia for HALO. HALO is the world’s largest organization specializing in the removal and destruction of landmines, unexploded ordnance and ammunition. ​They've been working in Cambodia since 1991, and over the past 25 years over 280,000 landmines have been destroyed benefitting nearly half a million people. 

I have spent two whole months working as a translator and interpreter in remote minefields with expatriate trainees looking for unexploded mines. My job is to translate from English to Khmer and vice versa between international trainees and national staff. It’s not just regular translations. The translations involve HALO language which include medical and technical terms. I am the connector and communicator between two groups so if I mess up my translation, both the trainees and trainers will have a hard time. I have to be very careful with my translations.