Hi Noemie, could you introduce yourself? Tell me where you are from, what your educational background is, if you had any prior work experience before your internship at HCSS?
Hi, my name is Noemie! I am originally from a small village in Bretagne (France) but I have been living in the Netherlands for the past 5 years. I moved to the Hague at 17, right after high school, to study International Studies in Leiden University with the Middle East as my area of specialisation. I have been passionate about history, geography and social sciences for as long as I can remember, and coming to The Hague seemed like the obvious option for me due to the city’s importance in international affairs. After a year of university, I liked the field of International relations so much that I decided to start Security Studies as a second bachelor since I wanted to get the most knowledge out of my time as a student. I was also part of Model United Nations, which gave me experience in public speaking but also skills in negotiations and communication which are very important in a workplace. After a minor at the Technological University of Delft in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and a semester of exchange in Bangkok, Thailand, I finished my degrees and started my internship at HCSS. Prior to the internship, I had very little experience in working in the field. As part of my study programs, I participated in consultancy projects with the ministry of Justice and Security and the ministry of Foreign Affairs, both on the topic of European Integration, but all of these remained within the University sphere. It was important for me to get work experience before starting my masters, and I couldn’t be happier after my time at HCSS!
What research topics did you work on at HCSS? Did you have any favorite topics or projects?
Over the course of the internship, I have been assigned to projects with very diverse topics, including hybrid threats, climate and security, international order and semiconductor supply chains. The environment of HCSS is very supportive in helping the interns discover new topics and interests and trying to match your preference to current projects. The past few months, I have worked on a project on the Breakdown of the International Order where we organised a workshop with the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence and experts in the field. This project really offered me the opportunity to dive deeper into a very timely and relevant issue which I find fascinating and understand the dynamics of international relations on a more concrete level bringing together knowledge from political, historical and economic disciplines. We are also in the final steps of writing a paper building on the insights from experts during this workshop. I think part of the reason this project is so important to me is that I got the opportunity to be involved from A to Z, including the organisation, the research, the writing and participation in the workshop, which I believe is also very representative of the internship programme. Through my time here, I have been surrounded by people who trust my work and give me very insightful feedback, which has taught me a lot on the professional level.
Reflecting on your experiences so far, what would you say are the skills that you honed and/or gained during your internship?
It is difficult to even express how much I have learnt from my internship here. First of all, this has helped me sharpen my global knowledge skills by working on topics which I didn’t know much about before starting. By working both with advice from analysts and independently, this experience has allowed me to improve my data collection and deep research capabilities, being able to contextualise information and retrieve specific knowledge efficiently. I have also improved my professional writing skills, which was an important goal of mine from the beginning. Being surrounded by such insightful and ambitious people has also made me extremely curious about everything, which is a state of mind I will keep in the future.
On a more personal note, I think that the internship has also taught me how important teamwork and communication are. I have worked the majority of my internship with my mentor Benedetta Girardi who has been the strongest support through these 10 months. Aside from getting very insightful feedback, suggestions and knowledge, I have always been reminded how useful my work was which has helped me gain a lot of confidence in my own abilities. I was also given opportunities to write my own snapshot on the topic of my choice and give a one-hour long presentation on my findings. The internship is structured in a way which lets interns get the most experience they can from the professional world, which is eventually what makes this programme different!
What advice would you have for future interns that are thinking of applying?
For this internship, I have two main pieces of advice. This first one is to keep an open mind for expectations, topics, projects and goals. As a general intern, you are assigned to projects depending on availability, meaning that you will often work on topics which aren’t your area of specialisation/interest. However, I think that what made this internship really special is that I got to work on so many different topics, surrounded by people who have themselves a lot of knowledge and insights in the field. As long as you are curious and receptive, you will thrive in this office!
My second advice is to make connections with people around you. HCSS is filled with people with different life experiences and knowledge, whether it is permanent staff or other interns. These connections definitely make the time more interesting, special and fun 🙂
This interview was conducted by HCSS Communications & Events Officer, Stephanie Govaerts
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