Interning in India
By: Stanford Global Studies
Tags: India, Travel, Global Internship, Stanford University, Education

In summer 2019, Vanessa Veak, Undeclared ’22, completed an internship through the Global Studies Internship Program at Magic Bus India Foundation, a non-profit in Mumbai, India. Below, she reflects on her experience working and living abroad.

Vanessa Veak at Magic Bus India Foundation in Mumbai.

1. Why did you decide to do an internship in India?

I narrowed my choices down to my interests, which pertain to education and youth development, and the internship I was interested in just so happened to be located in India. I had never traveled outside the United States prior to this internship, so I was willing to go anywhere!

2. What have you learned about India?

The internship lasted eight weeks, but I planned for about 11 weeks to have a chance to explore India off-the-clock. Traveling to different states and regions allowed me to learn so much. By doing research about Mumbai before traveling there, I thought I knew what to expect, but I did not expect the polarity between the rich and the poor to be so enormous. Also, I learned that most of the drivers on the road are professional drivers, and not many people drive their own car.

Vanessa Veak delivers a presentation on communications and fundraising while interning at Magic Bus India Foundation in Mumbai, India.

3. What did you do at your internship?

I had the honor of working with an incredible NGO, Magic Bus India Foundation, located in Mumbai, India. Magic Bus works with marginalized children and young adults through its notable Childhood to Livelihood program where they guide youth on a pathway to leadership and act as mentors to bring about positive changes in their behavior and attitudes. I had the opportunity to work on a project creating a communications and fundraising plan with a digital focus for the U.S. market. Magic Bus connects children to a suitable job, but still continues to keep in contact with them, which I find extremely admirable. It is structured to ensure that those who go through the entire program are employable and able to attain and sustain employment, in order to try to break the cycle of generational poverty. It envisions a world in which each child has the choice and control to be socially empowered and economically developed. Magic Bus helps marginalized youth in India complete secondary education, preventing girls from early marriage, and decreasing the unemployment rate, all to decrease the poverty gap. It is an enormous issue that may take even decades to completely address, but I am glad that I was able to help and involve myself with their work.

4. Did you do anything fun outside of work?

Outside of work, every weekend I tried to go on a small trip to explore more of India. Most of it was sightseeing different parts of Mumbai since it is a gigantic city in Maharashtra. My trips consisted of a wide range of activities such as hiking, going to caves, sightseeing historical places, visiting museums, shopping at markets outside, and trying new restaurants. I also went on treks whenever the weather would allow (the rain and traffic were completely unpredictable, especially during monsoon season), which was one of my favorite parts of this trip. At one point when we were descending down from a fort, it started raining incredibly hard, and the raindrops felt like tiny pellets, but that made the experience even more amazing.

5. What did you get out of the program? What was the most significant thing you learned?

It’s one thing to learn and read about other countries, but actually being there and immersing yourself in the country is an entirely different experience. With this being my first time outside the United States, it felt a lot more meaningful and made every moment breathtaking. I learned how to process many different things in a professional and formal setting for the first time, but I think the cultural aspect was what stood out the most for me. I learned an innumerous number of things in India, work-wise and cultural, and I know this internship will always remain in a special place in my heart. I also now realize the hype behind traveling the world — it was such an amazing experience that it’s difficult to form into words.

6. Has your experience in India made an impact on you academically?

I was able to reflect on myself and my interests. During the academic year at Stanford, everything is constantly moving so fast, and I cannot sit down and think without feeling behind. Thus, this trip was the perfect opportunity for me to do exactly that. Because I was undeclared, I still felt as if I was continuously searching for inspiration — a possible major — and it was while I was working that I realized “oh, maybe [education] is something I really enjoy doing.” Being in India also made me rethink the privileges that I have being an American college student. I think much more about my identity and what that means to me, and consider those around and away from me, leading to my now stronger interests in a more liberal arts education here at Stanford.