Meeting with Hillary Clinton while interning at the State Department. Photo: Thao Anh Tran
As a Thomas R. Pickering Fellow, an honor that I received with assistance from the staff of the Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research, I had the privilege of interning at the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs (more commonly referred to as the China Desk) at the State Department this past summer.
Working at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh. Photo: Thao Anh Tran
My internship at the State Department’s China Desk this past summer, an incredible experience in itself, led me to an even more amazing opportunity: the chance to participate in the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh from September 24th to September 25th. After my frequent interaction with the management and protocol staff at the State Department in the process of planning for the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, I was asked if I would be interested in serving as a Spouse Liaison Officer for the G-20 Summit. Though I initially had no idea what this job would entail other than being involved in some capacity with helping a spouse of one of the leaders attending the G-20, the thought of being able to attend the Summit made it impossible for me to resist the offer.
