Aagat Sapkota ’23

Nepal Transition to Peace, Nepal

At the end of a decade long bloody Maoist insurgency in Nepal, Nepal Transition to Peace (NTTP) was founded. Its main objective being conflict prevention, NTTP was able to attract a lot of foreign and domestic donors. The institute has since launched a multitude of peacebuilding projects ranging from grassroots to international level.

This summer, I had the good fortune of being able to intern as an Analyst for NTTP. The first couple weeks, I was asked to sit in on the meetings, read past reports, and observe the workings of the institute. A few weeks in, I was assigned to teams and assisted in specific peacebuilding projects. Since this internship was remote, I was not able to be heavily involved in one specific 
project because a lot of the peacebuilding efforts required working with people in physical contact. The lack of in-person participation was a drawback for me, because it deprived me 
of networking opportunities and a heavier involvement in projects. Although my involvement in each project was limited, I was simultaneously a part of a lot of projects which made the internship worthwhile.

My work mostly consisted of research and analysis. For example, the institute had certain conferences planned, and since Covid-19 forced these conferences to go virtual, I was tasked with finding the best ways of transitioning—
figuring out the electricity options, internet capabilities, best formats for Q & A, presentation formats, etc. Towards the end, I was able to lead a financial project myself. The institute had a certain amount of funds to distribute among other local organizations, and I was tasked with creating a presentation on how the funds would be the most effective. I did the preliminary research and presentation preparation, and I was later assigned a team who would assist me in whatever ways I wanted. The presentation involved a lot of one-on-one virtual interactions with these local organizations.

The work I did this summer gave me a glimpse of what post-graduate work would look like in the field of economics, 
for which I am a potential major. It also gave me a good idea of how working in my home country of Nepal would be. The internship also solidified my inclination to work in the social and economic fields.

I am very grateful to the Alumni Sponsored Internship Program which made it possible for me to do this internship, and to the ’68 Center for Career Exploration for providing me with this opportunity.