AUCA-Bard Summer Internship Program Students Arrived to Kyrgyzstan

June 17, 2015

AUCA is happy to host for the second time the AUCA-Bard Summer Internship Program participants this summer in Bishkek. The group arrived in Bishkek on June 11 and is quite diverse. Students from the US, China, Jamaica, and Vietnam represent not only Bard College – Annandale, but also Bard College – Berlin, the University of Vermont, University of Virginia, George Washington University, Tufts University, Swarthmore College, Sweet Briar College, Vassar College, and University of Hong Kong.

Visiting students will study politics and development of Central Asia, Russian language and hold an internship in international and local NGOs. Among internship sites are AUCA partners and friends, such as the Tian Shan Policy Center, International Republican Institute, GIZ, Mountain Societies Research Institute of the University of Central Asia, SOS Village Kyrgyzstan, Westminster Fund for Democracy, Institute for Youth Development, Youth Human Rights Group, UN Women, East West Management Institute, and CAMP Ala Too. Students will also be exploring the country, travelling to Sary Chelek Lake, Tash Rabat site, and of course Issyk-Kul Lake.

“Kyrgyzstan is an excellent starting place for the U.S. to prioritize its support for human rights and democratic reform in Central Asia. In comparison to its neighbors, Kyrgyzstan is the only place where democracy and respect for human rights have a chance to succeed in the near future,” - says Sammie Ibrahim, one of the participants from the University of Vermont.

Xiang Wang, another participant from the same university remembers when he heard of Kyrgyzstan for the first time: “I was about 12 years old. My father took me on a road trip to the XinJiang area in China. When we were standing on the border of China and Kyrgyzstan, one of the most memorable views, my father told me that beyond the gate in front of me was the territory of Kyrgyzstan. We stood at the gate and looked ahead, seeing beautiful mountains. Since then, the mysterious country of Kyrgyzstan began to stir my curiosity.”

During the orientation led by AUCA staff, students visited the new campus of AUCA. The program will run for eight weeks until August, and will be the last one to take place on the old campus.

<< go to news list