Balázs Rudinszky

Placement: Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), Washington D.C.: March 18 – August 3, 2019

Balázs Rudinszky’s major task at CEPA was to provide background information to the experts at CEPA in connection with their current study or publication. Balázs was usually assigned to conduct research on a given topic, examine the issue and conclude his assessments and findings in a memo. His research tasks were mainly focused on the following topics: the state of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine; European parliamentary elections in 2019; and the antitrust cases in the EU. His other tasks included assisting in organizing and managing events; administering social media (mostly Twitter) and some administrative tasks. Balázs had the chance to participate in CEPA’s Ministerial Forum organized on the occasion of the 70^th anniversary of NATO’s founding entitled ‘NATO at 70: Commemorating the Past. Preparing for the Future.’. Balázs also assisted in the preparations and the implementation of CEPA’s Denton Fellowship that hosted six experts from the Baltic States and Visegrád countries for 3 weeks with the goal of exchanging ideas with DC professionals to build their network and share their knowledge. Balázs was also instrumental in organizing the Coalition’s 2019 Gala Dinner and Dr. László Brenzovics’s visit.

“During the internship, I acquired both soft and hard skills and competencies that will be hugely beneficial in any practice field for the rest of my life. Without this opportunity, I would have never been able to own several interchangeable skills from understanding how to work in an international environment to networking at events. At CEPA, I was taught how to write proper, straight-to-the-point memos which has become a very useful and appreciated knowledge. On the other hand, having learned international relations from the best professionals in DC, I often find myself understanding the background of a business decision by knowing the underlying international policies and trends.”

Balázs Rudinszky has just graduated in law at Eötvös Loránd University (Budapest, Hungary) and he also spent a year as an exchange student at the University of Sheffield (Sheffield, United Kingdom). He is a member of the Public Law Scientific Student Association and the university’s Price Media Moot Court team. Balázs was an intern at the Office of the National Assembly of Hungary in the spring of 2017, and he recently pursued an internship at Allen & Overy Law Firm in Budapest, Hungary. Balázs also did law-related volunteer work at the Association of Conscious Consumers, an NGO which promotes ethical, environmental and socially conscious consumption and lifestyle choice. Balázs is interested in cross-border relations within the EU and between the US and the EU, international market regulations, competition law, intellectual property, human rights protection and energy policy. He is fluent in English and has basic conversational skills in Italian.

Borbála Péntek

Placement: Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy (MCCD), Washington D.C.: April 5 – August 14, 2019 

During her internship at MCCD, Borbála was involved in the following four projects: Next Level; Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council, Cultural Diplomacy Forum and various exhibitions. Next Level is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Meridian International Center with a mission is to use hip hop music, dance, and art to foster cross-cultural creative exchange in diverse communities. Borbála’s main responsibilities in the project included the management of the website and organizing the two most important events of Next Level in the US (Orientation and Next Level Global). The Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council is a network of leaders and advisors around the United States and the world who believe in employing the arts and culture as a tool of diplomacy and global engagement. Borbála was in charge of preparing recommendations for the leadership council and organizing several events for the participants. Borbála also helped in the preparations for ‘Meridian Diplomacy Forum: Countries of the Mekong’ that brought together government, business and artistic leaders to discover and explore the ecological, cultural and economic allure flowing through the sub region. Finally, she also got involved in the preparations of two exhibitions organized remotely in countries such as China or Indonesia, including doing secondary research for podcasts. Borbála was also instrumental in organizing the Coalition’s 2019 Gala Dinner and Dr. László Brenzovics’s visit.

“There are two main aspects of my internship at Meridian that proved to be of great help when I took over this new role: the experience I gained in project planning and project proposal writing, and the lessons I learnt regarding teamwork. I have been taking what I have learnt in D.C. as a set of best practices and trying to implement them in my organization and my department in particular.”

Borbála Péntek holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations and European Studies from University of Babes-Bolyai (Cluj Napoca, Romania) and two graduate degrees in Conflict Analysis and Management and in European Affairs and Project Management from the same university. Currently, Borbála works as a business research analyst at the KPI Institute, a research institute specialized in business performance and she is also the regional coordinator of the Canadian Rákóczi Foundation’s Students Without Boundaries Program. She has also been responsible for implementing cultural projects in Transylvania through grants received by the Hungarian National Cultural Fund. Alongside her university studies, Borbála pursued various internships, including a three-month internship at the Office for the European Representation of Hungarian National Communities in Brussels, Belgium. Borbála is interested in minority issues, human rights advocacy, conflict management, business research and cultural diplomacy. She speaks English and Romanian fluently, and Spanish on a basic level.

Flóra Anna Adouki

Placement: Atlantic Council, Washington D.C.: June 25 – October 23, 2019

Flóra’s responsibilities at the Atlantic Council’s Executive Office mainly focused on research of various topics, including US strategy in Central and Eastern Europe; Iran’s proxy war in the Middle East, China-US trade disputes; geopolitics and energy security of the Eastern Mediterranean region; Central European and Western Balkan countries’ media landscapes; among others. Her other tasks included assisting in organizing and managing events; assisting in speech-writing; preparing briefs for television interviews and congressional hearings; contributing to the weekly newsletter and some administrative tasks. As an intern at the Atlantic Council, Flóra had the chance to attend a panel discussion with the Prime Minister of Latvia Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš; a luncheon roundtable discussion with Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire; and the Fifth Annual Central and Eastern European Energy Security Conference that brought together esteemed panelists and moderators who discussed and debated current Central and Eastern European energy policy, the transatlantic energy security nexus, and the movement towards European energy independence, to name a few.  She also attended a U.S. Senate hearing when Damon Wilson, Executive Vice president of the Atlantic Council who was invited to testify before the US Senate Armed Forces Committee on the situation in Southeastern Europe. Apart from her work at the Atlantic Council, Flóra also worked on her thesis, which is an analysis of the role of nuclear weapons in strategic stability between India and Pakistan.

“Participating in the program and working at the Atlantic Council was a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity. The best thing about my internship is that I got hands-on experience. Furthermore, I could not only gain insight in the inner structure and processes of a well-established think tank, but it also contributed to my professional as well as personal development. Learning about new perspectives, deepening my knowledge and familiarizing myself with new research techniques will definitely help me in my future professional endeavors. Meeting with theHungarian-American community was also a unique experience, as it gave me an understanding about how the diaspora organizes itself and as someone who grew up as a Hungarian minority in Slovakia, I could compare my experiences to theirs.”

Flóra Anna Adouki is an undergraduate student in International Relations at Corvinus University Budapest (Budapest, Hungary). To gain international experience, Flóra has already spent a semester as an exchange student at the University of Oslo (Oslo, Norway) and she has just completed a semester as an exchange student at the University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy). Throughout her university studies, Flóra aimed to supplement her theoretical knowledge with practical experience, so she volunteered at the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (Budapest, Hungary), worked as an Event and Communications Manager at the British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (Budapest, Hungary) and interned at the International Organization for Migration (Budapest, Hungary). Flóra is also a student at Saint Ignatius Jesuit College for Advanced Studies (SZIK) Leadership Program (Budapest, Hungary), where she is an International Affairs team leader. Flóra is interested in international relations, European cohesion policies, human rights, migration and minority politics. She speaks English and Slovakian fluently, and Norwegian at a basic level.

Viktor Weisz

Placement: Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), Washington D.C.: June 14 – September 7, 2019

During his internship, Viktor’s main tasks at GEN were doing research on Latin American countries’ startup ecosystems, especially on Uruguay; assisting Jonathan Ortmans, President of GEN with various short-term projects; assistance in creating social media campaigns for GEW and GEW USA; assisting in the creation of a communications plan for GEW USA and theme blog posts; and editing and organizing GEN’s recorded material of interviews, talks, discussions and presentations. Viktor was also instrumental in helping the Coalition with their annual fundraising mailing campaign for their Bognár Family Hungarian Scholarship Fund.

“The opportunity to participate in the program provided me with a lifetime experience. I gained insight into the organization, work process, and value of a great company, all of which contributed significantly to my personal and professional development. I am so happy to rejoin the GEN team this summer!”

Viktor Weisz is an undergraduate student in International Relations at King’s College London (London, United Kingdom). Before moving to London, Viktor attended SEK Budapest International School (Budapest, Hungary) and graduated with exceptional results. Owing to his diligence and effort throughout his high school years, Viktor was accepted to do undergraduate courses at Stanford University in Stanford, CA, and Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, with both of these institutions granting him a considerable amount of assistance in merit-based scholarships. In addition to these, at the age of 16, Viktor was chosen to represent Hungary at the European Parliament and speak in the main chamber regarding the contemporary issues and solutions to immigration and migration, after winning the first price of the Euroscola competition in Hungary. In the summer of 2018, Viktor also volunteered at Artemisszió Foundation (Budapest, Hungary), a non-profit organization of public interest for the promotion and facilitation of intercultural dialogue. Viktor is interested in international law, political theory, conflict management, diplomacy, international economics and entrepreneurship. He speaks English and Spanish fluently.

Hajnalka Tóth

Placement: Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy (MCCD), Washington D.C.: September 4 – December 26, 2019

During her internship at MCCD, Hajnalka was responsible for the following tasks: creating social media content (graphics, articles, text for posts); coming up with a social media plan for posting (frequency, days, and language to be used); preparing background information about Meridian in order to write pitches to journalists to make it easier for them to write articles about Meridian; helping in the administration and organization of diplomatic and cultural events such as film screenings, architectural delegations, exhibits, lectures; editing newsletters in Adobe InDesign; drafting blogposts and creating graphics in Adobe Photoshop. On October 25, she also had the chance to attend the 8^th annual Meridian Global Leadership Summit, where she was in charge of registering media arriving to cover the event, while also monitoring social media for specific hashtags and questions regarding the conference. Hajnalka also helped in creating regular content for the Hungarian American Coalition’s Instagram account. Hajnalka also had the chance to participate in the 3^rd annual Young Hungarian Leaders Program organized by the Hungary Initiatives Foundation. Apart from her internship at Meridian, Hajnalka also got involved in the life of the Hungarian American community: she regularly attended activities of the Hungarian scouts in DC and together with Coalition Board member Eva E. Voisin, she represented the Coalition at the 2019 Ambassadors of the Future Gala in Beverly Hills, CA. Hajnalka was also instrumental in helping the Coalition with its preparations for the annual Mikulás Dinner and its Annual and Board Meetings.

“The program was a success both professionally and personally. I met really interesting people, saw and learned countless things, and pondered topics I otherwise wouldn’t have. It opened my horizons and helped me decide the direction I want to take my life in – what I enjoy and thrive doing and what I simply endure. I feel that I’ve come out of this program stronger, more focused, still curious to always learn more, and eager to take on new challenges.”

Hajnalka holds an undergraduate degree in Communications and Media from Corvinus University Budapest (Budapest, Hungary) and she has recently obtained her Master’s degree in International Relations from the same university. Alongside her university studies, Hajnalka pursued various internships: she participated in the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Internship Program helping the Hungarian diaspora in Geneva, Switzerland for six months in 2014, and she was a summer intern at the Hungarian Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade working for Máté Szalai, expert on Middle Eastern affairs between June-August 2018. Prior to her internship in DC, Hajnalka worked as a news anchor and editor for MTVA, Hungarian Public Media’s 10-minute English-language news segment, Hungary Reports since 2015. Hajnalka is interested in media relations, public diplomacy, social media’s effect on nation branding and image building, intercultural interactions and international relations. She speaks English and French fluently and German on a basic level.

Márton Zsuráfszky

Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), Washington D.C.: September 7 – December 15, 2019

Right in his first month, Márton had the chance to dive in the work of CEPA and participate in the institute’s biggest conference, the leading annual transatlantic security conference in Washington DC, the 11th CEPA Forum that took place on September 23, 2019. Márton’s responsibilities at CEPA mainly focused on research of various topics, including European CSDP (Common Defense and Security Policy); NATO’s Eastern flank; the EU’s permanent structured cooperation (PESCO), among others, as well as various administrative, organizational and creative tasks, including creating the design for the 2019 CEPA Forum’s lapel pins; creating the logo design for CEPA’s Rising Atlanticist Leaders Program, and creating the infographic ‘CEPA Flash News from Central Europe’, to name a few. Márton also assisted in the preparations for CEPA’s James S. Denton Transatlantic Fellowship that already hosted six experts from the Baltic States and Visegrád countries for 3 weeks earlier in 2019 with the goal of exchanging ideas with DC professionals to build their network and share their knowledge. Márton also had the chance to contribute to CEPA’s internal newsletter; create social media content for the organization as well as attend public hearings, and participate in several roundtable discussions or seminars. Márton also had the chance to participate in the 3rd annual Young Hungarian Leaders Program organized by the Hungary Initiatives Foundation. As for the Hungarian-American community, Márton regularly taught folk dance to the Hungarian scouts in Washington DC and performed at a Fokos concert and the annual Hungarian Christmas Bazaar, and he was also instrumental in helping the Coalition with its preparations for the annual Mikulás Dinner and its Annual and Board Meetings.

“I started to realize how much the program shaped me as a person, only after I made it back to Hungary. My personal development in both hard and soft skills, my experiences, and the can-do mentality that I acquired during the internship gave me a clear vision of what to do next in my life. I aspire to generate feasible solutions relating to the socio-economic system of Hungary. Most importantly, I applied for the Public Policy and Public Management Master’s Program at Corvinus University of Budapest. Also, I managed to finish my BA thesis entitled ‘Evaluating the European Union’s Permanent Structured Cooperation – Has the Sleeping Beauty of Lisbon awoken?’.”

Márton Zsuráfszky is an undergraduate student studying International Relations at Corvinus University Budapest (Budapest, Hungary). Márton is a member of the largest student organization of Corvinus University, called Studium Generale where he teaches history for students in the 11th and 12th grade on a weekly basis and he also organizes debate forums for his students. Márton is also a semi-professional folk-dancer and member of the Bartók Dance Ensemble of Budapest. Márton is interested in European studies, Central European affairs, international history, international political relations, and international economics. He speaks English and Spanish on an intermediate level.

István Zoltán Bán

Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD), Washington D.C.: October 2, 2019 – February 7, 2020

István’s work at IGSD included website and social media platforms management, various research tasks, participation in webinars, proofreading and editing documents and articles, drafting social media strategies for the organization, and monitoring news related to climate change and environmental policies. István also had the chance to completing online courses on various topics, including ‘Climate Change and Health; ‘Climate Change: The Science and Global Impact’, among others. István also had the chance to attend public hearings, and participate in several roundtable discussions or seminars. István was also instrumental in helping the Coalition with its preparations for the annual Mikulás Dinner and its Annual and Board Meetings.

“The John N. Lauer Leadership Training Program provided a unique opportunity to learn about the American work attitude, society and culture. Besides, it was also a great journey of self- discovery. Summing it up, I would recommend this program to someone who is brave enough to get along on his own in a foreign country and who is keen on discovering a new culture, a way of life, a totally different work attitude and a buzzing professional atmosphere.” 

István Zoltán Bán has recently obtained his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Corvinus University Budapest (Budapest, Hungary). István has strong interests in Hungarian-American relations, and he pursued an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest from September 2018 to March 2019: he spent three months at the Facility Management section and then three months at the Political and Economic section. He has a great interest in getting to know the life stories of Hungarian 56-ers living in the United States. István is interested in U.S.-Hungarian relations, democratic development, international economics, and sustainable development. He speaks English and Spanish on an intermediate level.