By: Caitlin Hurley

Rachel Elliott is living proof that you can study at Temple Rome and return again to work or intern. Rachel, an English major, is currently a Public Affairs Intern at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, a three-month assignment that has her doing everything from developing presentations on public affairs to drafting the Embassy's primary news product.

Serving as the Embassy's social media manager, Elliott creates content for all of the Embassy's digital and social media platforms. She is able to do all this while still earning academic credit at Temple: 3 credits in her major and 7 non-major credits, all in addition to completing an online general education course. Elliott remarks, "As a senior, I didn't think it would be possible to take advantage of this opportunity, but I'm so glad I was able to make it work. The internship has been an amazing learning experience and has given me a taste of what a potential career in the Foreign Service is like." 

After studying and interning at Temple Rome in Fall 2016, Elliott was looking for any way to get back to Rome. Last January, Temple Rome posted an announcement for an internship at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See—she applied immediately and was selected for the fall. Internships with any of the U.S. Embassy missions here in Rome—the U.S. Embassy to Italy, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See (Vatican), and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Rome —last for 10-12 weeks and can be done in the summer, fall or spring. Competition is very stiff for these internships, but Elliott believes that having lived in Rome while studying at TUR and having already interned in the city gave her a significant advantage. 

"I am so glad I have been able to intern not once, but twice in Rome, at two very different but equally fascinating organizations. Having interned and studied in Rome previously definitely set me apart from other applicants because I already understood what it was like to work and live abroad. For anyone considering returning abroad after they study here, I would say do it!", Elliott enthusiastically asserts.

For more information about internships, contact The Center for Academic Advising and Professional Development to meet with an advisor.