For some recent graduates, summer is a time of relaxation after years of intense instruction. But not for Ralitsa Ganevska ’12, a native of Bulgaria who attended Saint Peter’s University on a Presidential Academic Scholarship to obtain a bachelor’s degree in political science. Over the course of those two months, she participated in life-changing opportunities – the Hertog Fellowship and interning for the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria at the United Nations.
Ganevska’s first door to opportunity opened when she interned for Bulgarian diplomats at the U.N., work experience that began in April and lasted for about four months. At the U.N., she attended meetings, debates and consultations and wrote reports about these discussions, which were sent to the Foreign Ministry in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Ganevska worked side-by-side with Bulgaria’s diplomat of the Fourth Committee, who is responsible for monitoring the Security Council; the Sixth Committee diplomat, an expert on legal affairs; and with the first secretary of the Mission, who is responsible for disarmament and international security.
“I got a sense of not just one area within the U.N., but different committees. That was definitely a great plus,” she said.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website, the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria at the United Nations in New York offers voluntary internships for “committed, enterprising and energetic young people eager to acquire direct impressions and experience the work of the U.N., as well as that of a diplomatic representation before an international organization.” Bulgaria’s involvement in the U.N. contributes to the consolidation of trust, security and mutually beneficial cooperation in international relations and toward the country’s development in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
Alexander Mirescu, Ph.D., instructor of political science at the University, assisted Ganevska in obtaining the internship. He said, “In an effort to get Ralitsa that all important interview, I placed a few calls to the Mission and activated a Bulgarian contact at the U.N. With a great application and some strong institutional support from the department, Ralitsa and I worked together to open up her future.”
Adding to Ganevska’s international politics education this summer was the Hertog Fellowship, which she attended from July 22 to August 3.
“It was very good timing because I finished the internship,” Ganevska said. “I did one more week when I came back from the fellowship, but it did not interfere.”
Ganevska attended the fellowship, a two-week program on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, DC that focuses on political philosophy or American politics for juniors, seniors and recent graduates. Ganevska attended a specialized course, titled “The Challenges of the Middle East,” where she explored “the upheaval in the Middle East, asking and seeking to answer a few simple questions: What was the Arab Spring? How has it, together with its aftermath, changed American priorities and strategies? What are the key challenges the United States is likely to face in the coming years,” according to her syllabus.
“The course gave me an idea of the linkages of different issues that are going on in the Middle East and how they interrelate to each other, especially from the prism of United States foreign policy – how the U.S. responds to these challenges, the history, emerging issues [and more],” Ganevska said.
The program took place in a classroom setting and focused on American foreign policy topics such as “The Challenge of Iran,” “Iraq and Afghanistan” and “The Israeli-Palestinian Impasse.” For homework, Ganevska was required to read texts by policy practitioners, historians, journalists, intelligence officers and political scientists. She was then required to come to class every day ready to answer questions and participate in group discussions regarding political studies in the Middle East. She even wrote a 2,000 word essay on “America Primed” by Robert and Stephen Kaplan at the end of the course.
“My friends and I calculated it, and we basically covered material for a whole semester in those two weeks,” said Ganevska. “At first, it was like, ‘Oh, it’s just a class. We’re probably going to have lots of free time.’ No such thing.”
Ganevska’s fellowship also afforded her the opportunity to attend lectures by several foreign policy experts who served as the program’s guest speakers. These professionals included Anne-Marie Slaughter, former director of policy planning for the United States’ Department of State; Michael Barone, senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner; and Sam Tadros, researcher for the Center for Religious Freedom’s Hudson Institute.
“Anne-Marie Slaughter made the greatest impression on me because she gave her perspective on the grand strategy of U.S. foreign policy and how the United States relates to other countries,” Ganevska said. “She also talked a little bit about the crisis in Syria, which is of great personal interest and importance to me because it’s not only a challenge to the United State’s foreign policy, but also to the international community overall.”
Ganevska has returned to her homeland of Bulgaria, but wants to come back to the United States in the future for school, a job or a fellowship.
“I’m [went] back now because I have an offer from a graduate school in Europe, the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna,” she said. “So I’m going to try and pursue that option.”
Ganevska’s internship at the United Nations has also paved the way to a career in political science, even overseas.
“One of the diplomats told me that they have internships at the Foreign Ministry in Bulgaria and she would be willing to help me secure a position there as an intern, which is something very appealing to me because it will expose me to a great pool of experts in the field and government officials.”
“Students must know that there are wonderful and fulfilling jobs, graduate programs and law schools awaiting them after graduation,” said Dr. Mirescu. “Political science is a jobs-relevant field. Without strong internships, which bring networking opportunities, it becomes tougher to secure top jobs. It was clear, Ralitsa wanted to go places.”
And go places she will. Ganevska’s professional goal is to become a political analyst, one working in government or a think tank within the scope of international relations.
“The internship and the Hertog Fellowship are undoubtedly game and life changers,” said Dr. Mirescu. “They have positively changed the trajectory of Ralitsa’s future. I would not be surprised to see her in a top U.N. position in five years or in the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry in 10 years.”