Every semester, HIF offers the opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to intern with the foundation gaining substantive work experience while enjoying the bustling life of the US Capitol. This spring HIF is hosting Grace Elmore of George Washington University.
Grace Elmore
Grace Elmore is a third-year student at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is pursuing a degree in International Affairs, with a focus on the politics of Central-Eastern Europe.
Grace’s affiliation with Hungary began when she spent Fall of 2018 studying in Budapest with Central European University’s (CEU) Department of International Relations. While there, she developed a deep interest in Hungarian-American relations and a love for the people and the culture. She spent almost every weekend with her aunt’s family in Budapest, where she was able to learn more about Hungarian culture, and share her American culture in return.
“Upon returning to the U.S I was worried that I would not be able to find a way to continue engaging with U.S.- Hungarian relations. I was very glad when I discovered HIF. As an intern I hope to increase my knowledge and understanding of US-Hungarian relations, and contribute my experiences at HIF to my future academic and professional endeavors. I am very grateful for the opportunity to support American-Hungarian relations here in Washington, DC.”
Grace is also an avid language learner. She knows both French and Russian, and has participated in immersion programs, such as the summer Russian intensive at Middlebury Language Schools. While she is not yet fluent in Hungarian, she is enjoying the process of learning another language and hopes it will prove useful in her studies on Central-Eastern Europe.
“I am glad to be interning for an organization that is working to use education to bridge cross-cultural relations between two countries.”
After graduation, Grace hopes to apply her language skills to a future career in foreign affairs or diplomacy.