Konstantinos Tsarouchis, Junior, Intern at the American Hellenic Institute
This past summer, I interned for the American Hellenic Institute which is a lobbying firm dedicated to strengthening US-Greek relations and US-Cypriot relations. During my internship, I conducted research on Cyprus and its relation to other western countries. In addition, I also participated in the institute’s Student Foreign Policy Trip. Every year, the institution selects 10 Greek-Americans to partake in a 3-week journey across the United States, Greece, Cyprus, and Athens to participate in meetings with ambassadors and the president of Greece himself. In those meetings, I took notes on current tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and hope to apply those notes to my future endeavors. I also visited the north half of Cyprus which is occupied by Turkish troops and even met with the Greek and Cypriot navy and military to learn about submarine warfare. In addition, I have also gone to many cultural events at various European embassies including Russia, France, Sweden, and Norway. These cultural events have included dinners with movies, holiday bazaars, and even a Halloween Gala. I also will be heading to France next semester to study the language and French culture at the Institut Catholique De Paris. The purpose of all of my recent excursions is to prepare myself for a career in International Relations from the European perspective that I hope both my cultural experiences and political experiences can prepare me for.