This summer Milenka Lopez '17, International Relations Major with minors in French and History, was a Programs Intern for the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. During her time at the Council, she helped plan, organize, and execute events. She was particularly in charge of the summer Adult Trivia Competition, “World Quest 2016: Road to Rio.” As such, she came up with all the trivia questions, reached out to potential sponsors, updated the Council’s Facebook page, shopped for decorations, helped with the catering, and assisted in the implementation of the event itself. As Milenka noted, “It was a very successful event and I learned a lot about program planning.”
Milenka with His Excellency Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu, South African Ambassador to the US
She not only compiled a data binder with contact information for all major event venues in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but she also researched and compiled briefing books for the Council CEO and President about distinguished guest speakers such as Joshua Cooper Ramo, Vice Chairman and Co-Chief Executive of Kissinger Associates, the consulting firm of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Shirin Ebadi, Iranian Human Rights Lawyer and 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner. During her internship, Milenka had also the pleasure of meeting Hon. Jeanne L. Phillips, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs & International Relations at Hunt Consolidated, Inc.
Most notably, after concluding her internship, she was awarded the Pat Murray Scholarship Award by the Council so, as she rightly remarked, “It was truly an unforgettable experience!”