Different, Yet United by the Cause

By Ola Miller

Stories from Berea College Students and their perspectives on the first week interning at Kashmir World Foundation

Interning with Kashmir World Foundation (KwF) is a unique experience because it gives students the opportunity to apply their technological, artistic, and communications skills in the real-world while contributing to endangered species conservation. Read on to meet our featured interns for this week, and learn about their experiences during their first week with KwF:

Bio:

My name is Aleksandra “Ola” Miller. I am an international student from Poland. I just finished my sophomore year at Berea College, where I am doing a double major in Communication and Business Administration with a Marketing concentration and Broadcast Journalism minor. This summer, I am interning at Kashmir World Foundation where I work in the marketing and public relations department. My primary responsibilities include creating press releases, flyers, brochures, and writing blog posts, along with helping organize and promote events that Kashmir World Foundation events such as the Teachers Take Flight Workshop. Interning at Kashmir World Foundation allows me to not only advance and develop my communication and marketing skills but also help improve the world around me.

Bio: My name is Giorgi Lomia. I am an international student at Berea College from the country of Georgia. I am a double major in computer science and mathematics. I am extremely passionate about AI and data science, specifically in regards to computer vision. At Kashmir World Foundation, I will be working with Deep Learning and Neural Networks to develop tools that will help protect and preserve endangered species.

Bio: My name is Emely Damaris Alfaro Zavala. I am an international student from El Salvador who attends Berea College. I just finished my sophomore year, and I am studying Computer Science with an Information Systems concentration, as well as Business Administration with a Management concentration. This summer, I am interning for Kashmir World Foundation and I will be dedicating most of my time to working on mobile applications that will gather data from drones that use artificial intelligence to protect endangered species around the world. Working as a summer intern for Kashmir World Foundation presents an opportunity for me to apply the knowledge from my classes in real-life situations while working on making a change in the world.

Below, Kashmir World Foundation summer interns and International Berea College Students Ola, Giorgi, and Emely share their opinions and feelings about their first week as they get settled into their internships and learn about their primary responsibilities and goals for the summer.

According to Emely Zavala, her internship at Kashmir World Foundation allows her to learn a lot, and the knowledge she is gaining will be beneficial for her further development in the computer science field. “One of my main goals for my internship is to actively work in a team in order to create a functional working application to be used in a real-world setting. I feel honored because I will be providing conservationists with easier ways to gather data that will be used to protect endangered species” says Emely.

However, she also mentions challenges she will have to overcome throughout the internship: “I think I will have to find what time works best to communicate and how to best approach KwF with my questions about their current standing on the mobile application projects.”

Furthermore, after working at Kashmir World Foundation, Emely understands the impact and importance of the work that the organization does. “I think this organization is doing amazing work and it is so remarkable that they are using technology to make a difference in the world. Honestly, I think they are setting a wonderful example and I could not feel any prouder to be working with them,” she admits.

Giorgi Lomia shares Emely’s enthusiasm for his internship at Kashmir World Foundation. Giorgi believes that being a computer vision/machine learning intern at the organization allows him to gain priceless experience: “This week I have been busy setting up the google cloud account. This has been a completely different experience from what I had to do in school; there are many small things that you need to know to successfully set up a google cloud platform,” he says.

According to Ola, the internship is a valuable opportunity for her to use the knowledge she gained at Berea College in real life: “I am very grateful for the chance to intern at Kashmir World Foundation because I feel like I can learn so much from my supervisor and other interns who work at the organization,” she says. Ola adds that “The first week at Kashmir World Foundation was without a doubt a successful experience. I had a chance to learn something new but at the same time, I took advantage of the knowledge I have already gained. Additionally, I am very grateful for the opportunity to express my own opinions and ideas. I suggested to visit the private schools nearby, and came up with the direct marketing strategy for Teachers Take Flight 2019 in Reston, VA. For example, I found five private universities in DC area that we can visit; found the most important information about the workshop and the organization; and suggested offering the schools special advertising that would display the Kashmir World Foundation logo.”

Interning at Kashmir World Foundation allows students to learn and take advantage of different opportunities. For instance, on Wednesday, interns had a chance to go to the local radio station, where Princess Aliyah Pandolfi was giving an interview about her organization. It was a particularly valuable experience for Ola, who used to do a few radio shows herself. “It was a great experience for me because I have done a few radio shows in the past so it was amazing to see how it looks in a professional environment. Additionally, I saw how well radio might be utilized as a media vehicle in order to engage in the informative advertising for our projects,” she says.

Emely, Giorgi and Ola provide different perspectives on the projects they are currently working on, due to their diverse backgrounds and different interests. Together, they help Kashmir World Foundation change the world while having the opportunity to improve and develop their skills at the same time.