Kaitlyn Lord
Kaitlyn Lord had the opportunity to participate in an internship with the Scottish Parliament. She studied abroad winter and spring semester 2010 at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Part of the study abroad program included an internship.
"I interned as an aide to a Member of the Scottish Parliament ("MSP"). For the first five weeks of my program, I and 22 other interns took crash courses in Scottish politics, UK politics and Scottish society and culture. Through these courses we were able to gain a better understanding of the truly unique political landscape of the UK and specifically Scotland. Along with regular classes, the interns had "field trips" to historical sites around Edinburgh such as Edinburgh Castle and National Portrait Gallery of Scotland. Our program gave us the opportunity to meet chief media officers in the Scottish Parliament who produce press releases and protect the Parliament's image. We also met with senior news correspondents such as Brian Taylor from the BBC. Along with these enrichment activities associated with the program, I have been able to independently travel around Scotland and England. I have visited the Western Highlands and I have walked along Hadrian's Wall in England. These are just some the highlights of my experiences in less than two months in the mythical Scotland.
This past week, I officially began my internship in the Scottish Parliament. I work in an office next to the MSP's office and provide assistance to him and his aide. My MSP is Alasdair Allan and he represents the Western Isles. As part of internship, I will work closely with MSP's staff in evaluating and assisting in the sponsorship of various bills with an emphasis on educational bills and researching topics relevant to my MSP's constituency. I am currently researching the North Sea Oil Industry and how better financial management from the oil industry could make Scotland independent."
Kaitlyn is a senior majoring in International Relations & Diplomacy with a minor in Political Science.
Learn more about studying in Scotland at: http://oia.osu.edu/pdf/countries/Scotla nd-ArcadiaUniversityProgram.pdf