The Temple of Understanding, one of the oldest interfaith organizations in North America, stands with our many partners, the Parliament of World Religions, faith leaders of all traditions, corporations, universities and concerned citizens in condemning President’s Trump’s unconscionable action pulling out of the Paris Agreement.
On June 26, the Temple of Understanding’s 2017 student interns will arrive at the United Nations! We can hardly wait to meet these talented young people in person. Read on to meet our interns and learn about the projects they will be pursuing at the UN this summer.
My Name is Nicholas Wright. I am from Louisville, Kentucky, and I currently attend Ballard High School. What drew me to this UN internship was a longing for change. In this day and age, I feel like we spend too much time discussing problems and not enough time trying to find solutions to them. I applied for this program because I want to have an actual hand in making a change. Why waste time talking about what is wrong with the world when you could be helping to make a change yourself. That is my goal and motivation for applying to this internship.
My name is Grace Wilson, and I am 17 years old. I am from New York City. I was initially inspired to work at the UN because of all of the important work that they do around the world, especially as it pertains to my chosen initiative, Peacemaking. As the world changes and becomes more and more divisive, the UN’s role in international relations has become increasingly important, which is a part of what makes this internship such an important one.
Hello, my name is Sara Thirlwell. I am 16 years old, and I am from Toronto, ON, Canada. I am an advocate for positive change, social justice, and building peace among our nations for the overall positive movement of the world. This is what specifically led me to applying for this internship at the United Nations through the Temple of Understanding. As a citizen of this world and as an advocate for overall positive change in all aspects that have significant effects on our world, such as the environment, equality, social justice, peace building and many more, I saw a wonderful opportunity to share my core values with what the United Nations and the Temple of Understanding’s purpose is to build.
Hi, my name is Philine van Karnebeek and I am a 16-year-old junior living in Amsterdam. Since 2014, I have become increasingly interested in politics and religion and the relationship between the two. Although I personally am an atheist, I have always kept an open mind towards religion and I do embrace many of the principles that religions stand for. While searching for activities to do during my summer vacation, I came across the internship on the Temple of Understanding website.
My name is Anushka Singh. I am 19 years old, and I am an American citizen of Indian descent. I was born in Connecticut and grew up there before moving to Mumbai, India in 2008. I have always been interested in areas such as politics, religion, and diplomacy, which is why interning at the United Nations is an enormous privilege. Having grown up in two disparate countries and cultures, I have begun to understand the urgent need to address issues such as gender equality, sexual abuse, terrorism and poverty through peaceful talks, conflict resolution and effective action.
My name is Pallab Saha. I am a sixteen year old from Queens, New York. I currently attend Stuyvesant High School, an elite specialized high school near the Financial District of New York City. Throughout my life, the United Nations has been an fascinating entity due to its presence in the world as a peacekeeping organization dedicated to fighting for human rights. Since childhood, being Hindu has played a key role in developing my identity. My exposure to religion sparked my interest in different faiths and how they influence daily life.
My name is Eunice Park, and I am a 17-year-old girl currently attending school in Los Angeles, California. Originally from South Korea, I immigrated to the United States in 2006. From a very early age, I have been passionate about social justice issues- whether it be the issues I witnessed within my own community or others I was educated about outside of my limited community. Within my own community, I have worked with dozens of homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters in hosting mobile libraries and literacy classes.
My name is Akash Mishra, and I am a 17- year-old student at the American School of Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I’m from the United States, having lived in Kansas City, KS, before moving to Dubai in the spring of 2010, but have a strong connection with my Indian roots. I have a strong passion for issues surrounding international understanding and political cooperation. As an American of Indian origin, I have always been surrounded by cultural syncretism of some sort, and it was this synthesis of two cultures, punctuated by my experience living in the global cultural melting pot that is Dubai, that prompted my initial interest in issues of international understanding and global culture.