A Chance to Work Across Multiple Countries

Getting to know another country is a benefit of most students’ internships. For Emily Wallace, GED’12, experience with another two dozen countries lay ahead.

Having already lived and worked in Tanzania as a teacher for two years prior to entering GSE, Wallace interned for the IEDP in Kampala, Uganda, with World Vision, a humanitarian organization that works to combat poverty and injustice.

As an educational knowledge management intern, Wallace traveled to many of the nine African nations where her department had a presence, checking on projects as the organization went through a philosophical transition. “It was a lot of responsibility and it was also very exciting,” says Wallace.

Her supervisors noticed her dedication and ability, and offered her a one-month consultancy after her internship ended. Her term as a consultant was quickly extended for another nine months, and her work expanded to encompass projects in twenty-five countries. In July, Wallace joined World Vision as a resource adaptation trainer in the Swaziland office, where she develops teaching and learning materials.

“It was definitely a valuable experience,” says Wallace of her IEDP internship with World Vision. “The internship is a necessary component for work in this field.” She adds that the IEDP at GSE stands out among its competitors for its practical focus.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of The Penn GSE Magazine.