NO. 85

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) summer internship program is designed for college students who wish to gain experience in government affairs and foreign policy. AHI prides itself in preparing college students for the next step in their international relations careers.

This summer, Sophia Athan, Stratis Bohle, and Andreas Papoutsis took full advantage of their time as AHI interns. In addition to their time at the Hellenic House, Andreas, Sophia, and Stratis participated on the thirteenth annual AHIF College Student Foreign Policy Trip to Greece and Cyprus this summer.

Sophia Athan is a rising junior, Benacquisto Scholar, National Merit Scholar, and Dean’s List student at the University of Florida where she is pursuing a double major in political science and international studies and a double minor in Greek studies and European Union studies. During her internship, Sophia completed a research project on the tangible benefits of the U.S.-Turkish relationship, drafted press releases, and attended hearings and confirmations hosted by a variety of different nonprofit, governmental, and international organizations that included the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the Atlantic Council, and the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

“Throughout the summer, I was lucky to have had a fully immersive and educational experience participating in the AHI Summer Intern Program and traveling on the AHIF Foreign Policy Trip. The combination of these two programs provided me invaluable insight into the inner workings of U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy in Washington, Greece, and Cyprus,” Sophia said. “I learned exactly how Greece and Cyprus have the opportunity to create a greater impact on the global arena through improved military, economic, cultural, and political relations with the United States. This knowledge aided my research project evaluating the relationship between the U.S. and Turkey.”

She added, “Following my summer with the American Hellenic Institute, I am better able to advocate for the strengthening of the U.S.-Greece and U.S.-Cyprus relationships. I am incredibly thankful to Mr. Larigakis and the staff at AHI for providing me with an opportunity to gain such rich comprehension in the field.”

Following her internship with AHI, Sophia plans on pursuing a Juris Doctor with a focus on cultural preservation in the European Union.

Stratis Bohle is a sophomore and Dean’s List student at Virginia Tech, where he is studying political science with a minor in history. He was involved with the St. Katherine’s GOYA, where he attends church service. He competed in extemporaneous speaking during his sophomore through senior years in high school. He was the announcer of the sporting events at Centreville High School (located in Fairfax County, Virginia), where he also performed the morning announcements. In the summer of 2020, he worked for the Fairfax County Republican Party. He plans to attend law school after the completion of his undergraduate degree.

“My experience interning for AHI this past summer allowed me to understand the Cyprus issue, as well as other international relations topics relating to the United States, Greece, and Cyprus. I was also able to learn how to educate and inform others about these matters,” he said. “It also helped me to understand the difficulties faced by groups, such as AHI, in sharing their mission and why Americans should care about relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus. I was also able to be immersed in the many challenges of running an organization in the nation's capital. I would like to thank the American Hellenic Institute for a very fruitful learning experience.”

Andreas Papoutsis is a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he is majoring in economics with a minor in public affairs. His interest in economics was first realized when he developed a fascination with the complexities of economic and foreign policy during the Greek Debt Crisis. As an economics major, Andreas joined the Undergraduate Economics Society, where he now serves as co-president. After traveling to Chios to work with refugee children as part of a service trip with the Greek America Foundation, he decided to further pursue his interests in foreign policy. He has since joined UCLA’s foreign affairs magazine as a staff writer and the Hudson Institute’s Center for Political-Military Analysis as an intern. Andreas currently serves as the co-founder and treasurer of UCLA’s Hellenic Student Association. Following his internship with AHI, Andreas hopes to attend law school before pursuing a career in national security. He hopes a career in public service will enable him to help revitalize American credibility on the global stage and work towards a stable security environment for the world’s democracies.

“The opportunities and experiences offered by the American Hellenic Institute were the primary catalysts for what was an incredibly enjoyable and intellectually stimulating summer,” Andreas said. “Both programs, the foreign policy trip and internship, enabled me to take a deeper look into issues surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean and allowed me to connect with parts of my heritage in a unique and more intellectual manner. Most importantly, I learned about the importance of these issues through an American perspective, quickly understanding how the geopolitical landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean is directly implicated with American strategic interests.”

He added, “Following my summer with AHI, I feel much better equipped to continue my pursuit of a career in national security. None of this, of course, could have been possible without Mr. Larigakis and the amazing staff working at AHI. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities presented by the foundation.”

Following his internship with AHI, Andreas plans to attend law school once he graduates from UCLA. He hopes to obtain his Juris Doctor in the Washington D.C. area and go on to work for a federal agency.

AHI’s internship program is designed for college students who are interested in learning more about U.S.-Greece- Cyprus relations and how foreign policy is formulated in Washington, DC. Students who are chosen for the program spend weeks to months working on various assignments consisting of research projects, attending events in area think tanks and in Congress, and assisting with an assortment of educational events sponsored by AHI.

For more information on AHI internship positions, please visit our website https://www.ahiworld.org/internships