Senior Eila Teizer traveled to Berlin, Germany last summer for a political internship. This unique internship included her working under a Green politician in Germany who is equivalent to America’s Pete Budttigies. While she didn’t speak with him much, she worked on comparing the different political agendas for transportation in Germany in his office. This internship was not only an incredible opportunity, but it also helped her become more confident about her future plans.
Her father, Winfried Teizer, has also seen how the internship has benefited her.
“Prior to arriving in Berlin, she learned about political work as she prepared,” Teizer said. “Then, during the actual internship, she learned how the office of a member of Parliament works. While it was busy, she also had a lot of fun. Even now, she once in a while sees a politician on TV whom she got to see in Germany. It also gives her a personal approach to democracy since it is not some distant system anymore.”
Eila’s internship was insightful and she learned a lot about politics in Germany as well as what a real job in politics is about.
“The workday was very short, but we got things done,” Eila said. “People work very efficiently during this time and everyone is busy. In addition, I also realized how many of these politicians that are in the news all the time are not making many speeches. Before their interviews, someone else writes down all the important points that they need to look at and they quickly run over it in the 25 minutes before the interview, and then they just talk. Also, the social media is done by these small offices, while I always thought there was a whole coordinated social media group that was in charge of these politicians’ social media.”
Eila has previously lived in Germany, and in recent years she has traveled there each summer, but this internship still gave her a new perspective on the country.
“In Germany, I usually stay in a smaller town and Berlin is a huge city, and I realized how amazing it actually is,” Eila said. “I love the tram rides and all the different cultures, and I didn’t even think the city was dirty even though a lot of people do. I really liked this whole atmosphere and I also realized that maybe I want to study there in the future. I am looking at a university there now because of the internship.”
Since Eila is planning to pursue a law degree in Germany, she has come to realize how crucial having an International Baccalaureate diploma is when applying to foreign colleges.
“Without the IB diploma, I wouldn’t even be entertaining the idea of going to Germany because the German high school diploma is harder than the American one so they wouldn’t take the average on-level courses,” Eila said. “Even AP classes aren’t always enough, so the IB program makes the process smoother since it is seen as the equivalent of the German high school diploma.”
Eila understands how important it is to travel and familiarize yourself with different cultures. She encourages others to take this opportunity whenever they get the chance.
“Being able to live in another country is a great privilege, and I know a lot of other people don’t get that,” Eila said. “I am really grateful for the fact that I was able to experience another country in a non-superficial way. If anyone ever has the opportunity to ever do an exchange year, I definitely recommend it since it teaches you a lot about that place and your own country as well. It shows you that what you think is normal here is not a given in another country.”
