Community Corner
Burke Resident Interns at U.S.-Ukraine Foundation
Robinson grad Francesca Licari plans foreign affairs job after college
Her computer mouse clicking, Francesca Licari, 18, re-arranges code in Adobe Dreamweaver. She pauses to answer a phone call from a Ukrainian student. Licari is working as a summer intern at the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's (USUF) D.C. office.
Licari, a Burke resident, is a rising second-year student at the University of Virginia, where she is pursuing Russian and East European Studies. She's planning for a job in foreign affairs after college.
Half-Ukrainian, Licari submitted part of her Robinson Secondary School International Baccalaureate (IB) “extended essay” on the progression of democracy in Ukraine when applying in April. “I thought that working with the foundation really represented the democratic ideals that my grandparents would want to see in Ukraine,” she said.
Find out what's happening in Burkewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
USUF works to uphold democracy in Ukraine, and to improve relations between the U.S. and Ukraine, said John A. Kun, the office’s vice president and chief operating officer.
As one of four unpaid summer interns, Licari helps produce the USUF international e-newsletter, Update, assists with fundraising efforts, fulfills administrative tasks and updates the group’s Facebook page.
Find out what's happening in Burkewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Licari said the internship has given her unique opportunities in Washington. For example, she attended a U.S. Department of State briefing on human trafficking in Ukraine, where she met Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador-at-Large of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. She also visited the Ukrainian Embassy and met Olexander Motsyk, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S.
Interacting with various individuals is a “great educational experience” for student interns, Kun said. “They’re going to meet with diplomats, ambassadors, policy experts, so they have to learn to adapt to that environment,” he said. "Internships are a great investment in your future career.”
Licari has helped promote the “Ties to Ukraine” project, which seeks to fight human trafficking in Ukraine. According to Kun and USUF’s e-newsletter, the foundation is collecting neckties, loose jewelry and leather items to send to Ukraine. These items will be converted into garments to sell or auction, and the proceeds support children from orphanages and women in danger of trafficking. Kun said former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton have donated neckties.
