As an International Business student, I have eagerly awaited the chance to study and work abroad in a meaningful way. I realized that such work would take me out of my comfort zone and test my professional and language skills. It is with those feelings that I approached my position at International IDEA’s offices in Panama.
When I arrived in Santiago, Chile early this summer, I was a little nervous and very excited about what was awaiting me in a new city, a new country. Through my four years at UT, I explored a wide range of topics in politics, ranging from the productive political conversations taking place on social media platforms to affective polarization. And this research has always been U.S.-focused. But I had never thought about participating in an internship about constitutional reforms in a different country. Yet there I was applying for an internship on democratic assistance programs in Latin America, working with International IDEA.
I’m happy to report that humidity is universal, although sometimes it seems Texas has a monopoly on it! Along with the humidity, Panama has no shortage of lush greenery, kind strangers, and strong coffee. I had never been to Central America before this internship with International IDEA and UT Austin, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Now that I’ve been in Panama for over a month, I’ve started to get the hang of it all, from using the metro to navigating the temperamental elevators at the Electoral Tribunal. Despite all that I have learned, I’ve found that working in a multinational environment on topics as important as gender parity in Panamanian politics teaches you something new constantly.
Surrealism refers to a form of visual art that produces incongruous imagery by means of irrational juxtapositions. Some argue that surrealism revolutionizes the human experience, as magic and beauty can be found in the unexpected and uncanny. In a similar way, my time in Chile has been just that—pleasantly unexpected.
The time I’ve spent in Panama has been nothing short of a privilege. To work alongside International IDEA and have a peek into the world of democratic and electoral assistance was invaluable, both on a professional and personal level. Most of my time was spent at the Tribunal Electoral (“Electoral Tribunal,” or TE), where International IDEA-Panama is located. The TE houses not only the country’s civil registry, national ID directorate, and specialized electoral body but also the Instituto de EstudiosDemocráticos(“Institute of Democratic Studies,” or INED). I worked alongside the director of INED, Salvador Sánchez, and several other researchers on his talented team. Their kindheartedness made me feel more than welcome as an intern.
As I wrap up the initial month of working with International IDEA at the Electoral Tribunal in Panama, I reflect on the diverse experiences that I have enjoyed in a short period of time. My completion of this internship signals an ability to successfully pivot from an academic background, using my critical humanities formation for public-facing work going forward. I remain convinced that cultural considerations have their place in governmental and extra-governmental projects, and I am heartened to find that the public arena in Panama considers and even encourages diverse perspectives.
Alejandra Jimenez, Guillermo Pérez, and Tien Vo started their work at the IDEA Chile Office on June 1, and they’re joined this week by Matt Martin, fresh in from IDEA’s Panama Office. The fellows are supporting a range of legal and constitutional reform projects in Chile, with Chile’s current constitutional reform process underway.
Francisco Alvarado-Quiroz, Alexys Aquino, Matt Martin, and Kaitlin Passafiume are working at the IDEA Panama Office, supporting a range of democracy assistance projects including evaluations of the constitution’s performance, women’s participation in elections, and the first-ever Panamanian youth voting campaign.
The 2023 Embedded Scholars have been preparing for their summer work abroad through a new government course created for the program — Research in Democratic and Constitutional Development. The course delves into issues in democratization, constitutional design, and democracy assistance, engaging students in research in these areas. This semester, the students worked with the Comparative Constitutions Project to design a new deliberative consultation framework to research public views on constitutional issues.