Veronica Baker (IAFS/PSCI Fall '15) participated in the Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) for two years in a row, working for the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. In her first year, she tracked human rights developments (arbitrary arrests, free speech violations, legislative reform, journalist freedom, etc.) for the bureau's Office of Middle East Affairs. Her research was incorporated in the State Department's annual for 2014 and 2015.  Â
The Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) is a virtual internship program for undergraduate and graduate students to work on projects of global importance. Though it is run by the State Department, positions are offered throughout the U.S. government, with 15 agencies (including NASA, the EPA, and the Department of Homeland Security) participating this past year. The list of participating government agencies can be found at .
The following summer, Veronica re-applied for positions within the same bureau and accepted an offer from the Office of Policy Planning and Public Diplomacy. In this capacity, she supported global democracy and human rights outreach through a variety of projects, including writing weekly human rights news digests, creating content for social media campaigns, researching U.S. embassy and consulate human rights promotion activity, and transcribing recordings of congressional testimony by Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski. She even had the opportunity to draft a proclamation for President Obama on International Human Rights Day.
VSFS is an academic year-long virtual internship beginning in August or September each year. Interns are generally expected to work an average of 10 hours per week. Many offices have their interns participate in conference calls with special guests and extend an offer to come in and visit the office if the student happens to be in DC.Â
Veronica is now a research assistant at the Middle East Institute and an intern at the Woodrow Wilson Center, both in DC. She feels that VSFS allowed her to build her skill set and forge valuable professional relationships within the State Department. If you have any questions about the VSFS experience, feel free to reach out to her at veronica.baker@colorado.edu.
The application opens in early July and is due approximately three weeks later. Applicants select up to three positions in order of preference. To apply, you must be a U.S. citizen and a currently enrolled student. Unlike many government internships, VSFS interns do not need to worry about obtaining a security clearance to participate.