Open to both American and Canadian students, competition for the spots is fierce. Summa is the intern coordinator for the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Still, the benefits of an internship must be weighed with the costs. Plus, students must make their own arrangements for medical insurance. The program helps build the interns' resume by offering 12 different job descriptions to complement their skills and projected career.
Some interns help promote Canadian studies in U.S. colleges.
The congressional relations intern attends and reports on congressional hearings that affect Canada. The cultural affairs intern helps organize the embassy's cultural events. In publications, interns research and help publish material on bilateral relations, the environment and trade. Other interns help at the press office, the embassy library, at the Office for Liaison with International Financial Institutions, and in the embassy's energy, science, tourism, and environment and fisheries sections. In all of these functions, the intern has a chance to attend and report on official meetings, to set up appointments, to conduct and compile research, and to help plan events.