20 July 2020

Intern Sharing - On being virtual and contributing to an ongoing crisis

By
AUN Writer Team

By Wing Jun Cheng, AUN Intern;

Internship at AUN Secretariat

The opportunity to intern at the ASEAN University Network (AUN) Secretariat is a great starting point for me to combine my personal passion with my professional interests. I have the chance to get involved in information gathering and analysis, as well as research challenges and solutions in specific topics.

Connecting to my academics

As a penultimate undergraduate majoring in global studies, I am glad to be able to gain research experience and to work in an intergovernmental organization. The assignments are well-related to my academics and current study in international affairs. During the five weeks of my internship, I helped in researching the worldwide effects of COVID-19 in multiple perspectives, the information communications technology capacity of specific countries and the impact of pandemic towards international travel. They are all related to adapting to the current global situation. The drafting for the concept note allowed me to get familiar with groundwork preparation. The final presentation encompassed the previous assignments to provide new ideas and suggestions to my colleagues. Throughout the process, I found myself more capable in researching and summarizing information from think tanks, news reports and official documents. The presentation gave me a chance to integrate different sources and generate new ideas. I am grateful to have contributed in the process. 

Virtual intern

Being the first batch of AUN Secretariat virtual interns has significant meanings for both myself and the institute. While we were both adapting to the new mode of communication, I was able to keep connected with my supervisors and colleagues through various online channels and regular meetings were held through an online conferencing platform. The communication was smooth, and it broke the geographical barriers. I found myself very comfortable working under the “new normal”. The intern supervisors and colleagues were very supportive and helpful. They also gave me feedback on each assignment. Here at AUN Secretariat, the input and ideas from student interns were valued. Inspired to devote my future career in intergovernmental organizations, I have built confidence and become more equipped for future challenges during this period.

Thank you AUN Secretariat and The Chinese University of Hong Kong for the opportunity once again. The research experience and the chance to intern in a prestigious intergovernmental organization enable me to deliver more in future endeavors for contributing back to the society in the same field.