- What has the internship experience brought to you in terms of leadership, networking and personal development?

In just the two months I was there, three high level conferences took place at the policy center. I got to take notes and write the speaker briefs, and I met important people in the policy world whose interests were quite diverse. For example, I met (and exchanged cards) with the President of the Mauritius Stock Exchange as well as representatives of major think tanks in Europe and the Maghreb, just to name a few. In terms of personal development, I've come to realize that the grey areas in policy are simultaneously what make it interesting and challenging. Before working at the policy center, I felt like I had answers for most questions that troubled the world; - a two state solution for Israel and Palestine, heavily reinforced bans on human trafficking, open borders for refugees etc etc. But reading heavily detailed policy briefs and sitting in discussions where most of my notions were challenged were huge moments of intellectual growth for me. I came to see the world with completely different eyes, to understand better the conflicts of geopolitics, to grasp more the theory behind International relations and transnational politics.

- Regarding your past experience, what advice would you give to future interns in order to make the best out of their time spent at the policy center?

Please come to work early. God knows I didn't, and I missed a lot of interaction with colleagues, valuable lessons on how things work in the real life after you leave school, good Moroccan tea, just to name a few.