Claire Elisabeth Thomas ‘08
Shawnee, KS

Claire Thomas is a double major in International Relations and Astronomy who had a summer internship as an Intern at the Daily Star in Beirut.

While I have ruled out journalism as a career, the invaluable understanding of events in the region I gained during my internship will continue to be a great asset as I continue to pursue the study of international relations.

When: Summer 2006 (between sophomore and junior year).

Why an international internship: As an international relations major, international experience is an integral part of my studies. Having studied Arabic and Middle Eastern Politics, Lebanon seemed a logical choice for my (very) first international trip.

What language did you speak: English, Arabic, French

What did you do: In addition to some smaller duties, I worked as a reporter for The Daily Star, writing articles on local events. This entailed a lot of very interesting independent travel around the Beirut area to cover such events. It was very exciting to see my articles published in the paper.

What next : I plan to continue studying Arabic and the Middle East.