CISLA

CISLA Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts

The mission of CISLA is to educate students to become culturally sensitive, socially engaged, politically informed leaders, and to give them the skills to succeed in a globalized world.

This week’s travel grant spotlight is Anna Olivia Nielsen (‘26)! 🌃 This past February, I had the wonderful opportunity t...
03/03/2026

This week’s travel grant spotlight is Anna Olivia Nielsen (‘26)! 🌃
This past February, I had the wonderful opportunity to take part in the annual Cambridge Undergraduate Conference in German Studies hosted by the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge. In keeping with this year’s theme “Borders and Boundaries,” I presented a poster on my research concerning the representation of Ukrainian refugees in German political discourse and party programs. During the event, I had the chance to connect with other undergraduate scholars from a range of academic backgrounds, who presented on topics ranging from the cultural/political contexts underpinning dialectal differences in German-speaking countries to the history of collective memory surrounding the Holocaust in Germany. I was also able to engage with members of faculty and staff regarding post-graduate plans, language study opportunities at Cambridge, and how to improve my SIP research. I left Cambridge feeling inspired and prepared to refine my thesis over the next two months!

¡Hola! I’m Angelina and I’m a double major in International Relations and Linguistics with a minor in Hispanic Studies. ...
02/26/2026

¡Hola! I’m Angelina and I’m a double major in International Relations and Linguistics with a minor in Hispanic Studies. This semester I am studying abroad in Granada, Spain 🍊 Tune in next Wednesday to follow a day in my life abroad! ¡Nos vemos pronto!

On Sunday, February 15th, the CISLA sophomores attended the third annual CISLA retreat! ☀️ We had a great time getting t...
02/25/2026

On Sunday, February 15th, the CISLA sophomores attended the third annual CISLA retreat! ☀️

We had a great time getting to know the incoming class with a day full of conversation + team building, and wrapping up with some quality downtime to connect. ☃️ We are so excited to see where your CISLA journey takes you, and look forward to the next 2 1/2 years! Welcome CISLA class of 2028 🎊

Coucouuuuu🌟🌟 I’m Sylvia and I’m a double major in international relations & French, with a minor in economics, and this ...
02/19/2026

Coucouuuuu🌟🌟 I’m Sylvia and I’m a double major in international relations & French, with a minor in economics, and this semester I’m studying abroad in Paris !!! Stay tuned for my takeover next Wednesday (2/25) 🙏🙏😊

Here are the CISLA Fellow Hours for reference for students studying abroad! Feel free to email any of our fellows for he...
02/18/2026

Here are the CISLA Fellow Hours for reference for students studying abroad! Feel free to email any of our fellows for help with your internship search, general questions, or to check in📍

This week’s internship spotlight is Anna Olivia Nielsen’s experience in Germany 🌍☀️This past summer, I completed an inte...
02/17/2026

This week’s internship spotlight is Anna Olivia Nielsen’s experience in Germany 🌍☀️

This past summer, I completed an internship alongside Migration Attorney Jenny Fleischer in Berlin. The firm is located in the annex of an old villa in the multicultural district of Wedding and is composed of a small group of young lawyers and local law students with a focus on immigration and refugee law. During my 8-week internship, I supported clients in individual meetings and court hearings, drafted legal documents concerning family reunification, naturalization, and asylum, and conducted country-specific human rights reports and archival research. I also had the opportunity to represent the firm at the 25th Berlin Symposium on Refugee Protection, organized by the Evangelische Akademie zu Berlin and UN Refugee Agency, where I learned from field experts and parliamentary representatives on the future of asylum policy in Germany and the European Union. Outside of work, I spent my free time visiting museums, flea markets, art exhibitions, and exploring different neighborhoods. One of my favorite parts of Berlin was being immersed in its various cultures and engaging with people from all walks of life. This experience allowed me to develop my German language skills and bolstered my enthusiasm for pursuing a career in public service after graduation!

For our CISLA spotlight this week, here’s Eli Craddock’s internship experience 🌠This past Summer, I interned with La Un...
02/11/2026

For our CISLA spotlight this week, here’s Eli Craddock’s internship experience 🌠

This past Summer, I interned with La Unión Iberoamericana de Municipalistas under the supervision of Rosalinda Martinez Diaz. La Unión is an organization that works to strengthen local governments and promote institutional quality across Ibero-America. I worked with Señora Martinez Diaz to produce educational information regarding the organization and educational opportunities that they put on. During my experience in Granada, I had an incredible time in the city with my Irish roommate, Zikora, and her friends from Erasmus. I not only grew professionally during my time away, but personally as I was able to experience new places, foods, and make new friends along the way.

This Week’s Internship Spotlight🔦: Jenifer Alvarado💫¡Buenas! My name is Jenifer Alvarado and I interned at Karina Márque...
02/04/2026

This Week’s Internship Spotlight🔦: Jenifer Alvarado💫

¡Buenas! My name is Jenifer Alvarado and I interned at Karina Márquez Legal in Guayaquil, Ecuador the summer of 2025. KM Legal is a close knit, boutique firm in the heart of Guayaquil, committed to serving the people of Ecuador in all their legal needs. Throughout the summer I worked as a paralegal apprenticeship under Attorney Karina Márquez herself. As a paralegal apprentice I was immersed in civil matters: drafting legal documents, organizing evidence, attending hearings, searching through legal archives, and advocating directly for clients.

Some of my favorite moments in the city include my morning commute on the MetroVia (Guayaquil’s rapid bus system), traveling to different legal offices in the city and the amazing views from the firm’s office. My favorite memory, has to be being able to attend a gallery opening at the city’s Municipal Museum, conducted every year in July to honor Guayaquil’s foundation. I even got to meet and talk to the artists and city officials at the opening!

Hello spring semester! 🌸 We’re back to shining a light on our seniors and their amazing internship experiences, starting...
01/29/2026

Hello spring semester! 🌸 We’re back to shining a light on our seniors and their amazing internship experiences, starting with this week’s spotlight: Hope Kisakye✨

Last summer, I lived and worked in Atandahua, a small town outside Guaranda, as an architectural intern with El Terreno. El Terreno is a community exchange centre where students, professionals and volunteers come from all over the world to learn about Ecuadorian and indigenous culture while using their expertise to contribute to development projects. As an architectural intern, I helped design the renovation of an 80-year-old adobe building and a proposal for tourist cabins in the surrounding hills. I got to do some site analysis and community engagement before I started any design work. The project was rooted in indigenous tradition and building culture, with community feedback being central to the development process. Along the way, I gained hands-on experience mixing adobe, repairing walls, making natural paints, and working in la minga (collective labour). I learned a lot of architectural terminology in Spanish and fell in love with community-based design.

Here are the drop-in hours for our Spring 2026 CISLA fellows 🖇️. Fellow hours will also be posted outside of our office!...
01/29/2026

Here are the drop-in hours for our Spring 2026 CISLA fellows 🖇️. Fellow hours will also be posted outside of our office!

Stop by the CISLA Office with any questions about your SIP, internship search, or to say hi 🤗 Our fellows can meet remotely for students abroad, just reach out to schedule a virtual appointment!

We are pleased to announce Katherine Docampo ‘06 as our 2025 CISLA Distinguished Alumni Award recipient! 🌎 On Friday, De...
12/16/2025

We are pleased to announce Katherine Docampo ‘06 as our 2025 CISLA Distinguished Alumni Award recipient! 🌎 On Friday, December 5th, all three cohorts of CISLA scholars came together at our annual All-CISLA Dinner to recognize Katherine’s achievements and hear her reflections on the role CISLA has played in her life beyond Conn. From her early work building Russian public diplomacy channels, to her recent work on the World Economic Forum and Davos, Katherine has continuously leveraged what she learned to grow her career at the intersection of international relations, communications, and geopolitics to the greater benefit of others. Congratulations and well-deserved, Katherine! 🎉

Taiwan Equality Campaign is a civil society organization that focuses on promoting gender equality in Taiwan. Taiwan Equ...
12/03/2025

Taiwan Equality Campaign is a civil society organization that focuses on promoting gender equality in Taiwan. Taiwan Equality Campaign, formerly called Marriage Equality Coalition, was foundational in legalizing same-sex marriage in Taiwan, and since then has done work to ensure equal rights for q***r people, such as equal adoption rights and international same-sex marriage. During my time interning there, I was doing comparative research, attending international research meetings, writing articles, and assisting at lectures, and even accompanying them to city councillors meetings. One of the biggest events that we held this summer was our forum for the anniversary of same-sex marriage, where the organization welcomed the public to listen to guest speakers.

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Connecticut College, Blaustein Humanities 108, 270 Mohegan Ave
New London, CT
06320

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Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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