Passionate about nonprofits, Political Science major interns with The Fund for American Studies

Sophomore Sana Askari earned the outstanding student award from The Fund for American Studies as part of its Academic Internship Program, which involved enrollment in a college course at George Mason University and an internship with the nonprofit International Child Art Foundation’s Global Arts Olympiad project.

Sana Askari Summer 2023 Internship — Askari earned the Outstanding Student Award in the Public Policy and Economics track of The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) Academic Internship Program.

When Sana Askari of Ghazni, Afghanistan, was accepted into The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) Academic Internship Program in Washington, D.C., she knew she wanted to complete her summer internship with a nonprofit organization. “I was very intentional about it,” she says.

Nonprofit work is one of Askari’s passions.

In 2021, she launched her own small, woman empowerment nonprofit, Esheel Stitching Circle — esheel meaning green, or prosperity — dedicated to “amplifying the voices of Hazara Afghan refugee women living in Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as promoting Hazaragi handicraft culture.” She aims to provide women without education with an outlet for their skills and a way to earn a wage.

So, it was only natural that this summer, TFAS connected her with the nonprofit International Child Art Foundation (ICAF), where she served as a full-time project officer and led the Global Arts Olympiad project in the Middle East, Asia, and parts of Africa.

“It was a good opportunity to discover how policies affect people in different parts of the world in terms of marginalizing their access to opportunities and learn ways of making it easier for them.”

Sana Askari

As part of the Public Policy and Economics track within the TFAS program, Askari had to complete an internship as well as a course, Economic Problems and Public Policies, at George Mason University.

A double major in Political Science and Business Administration with a minor in Arabic, the TFAS program was the perfect match. “It was comprehensive and prepared me for many kinds of careers,” she says. “I met a senator and a congressman, toured Senate buildings — I was able to make connections to land future opportunities.”

Experiential learning is a major part of the McDaniel Commitment, and Askari had support from McDaniel before and during the summer. Professor Christianna Leahy had helped her identify the program, and McDaniel’s Center for Experience and Opportunity (CEO) awarded her a Summer Intern Fellowship to offset costs and connect back to her academics on the Hill.

Confronting (and learning from) challenges on an international scale

As an ICAF project officer, Askari contacted schools in the Middle East, Asia, and parts of Africa to invite students to submit work to the Arts Olympiad, an international school art program. Due to limited resources in many regions, making contact was a challenge.

“It was very hard to find a way to communicate,” she says. “I had to do a lot of research, and I reached out to everybody I knew in the Middle East and parts of Asia to see if they could connect me with schools.”

For Askari, the challenges were eye-opening.

“It was a good opportunity to discover how policies affect people in different parts of the world in terms of marginalizing their access to opportunities,” she says, “and learn ways of making it easier for them.”

Askari’s efforts resulted in her earning TFAS’s Outstanding Student Award in the Public Policy and Economics track, which included approximately 80 total students.

“The communication skills I developed during my first year at McDaniel were a huge help in my role as project officer,” she says.

She also participated in TFAS career development workshops, which are serving her well as a CEO ambassador this semester. “I can leverage those skills to help other students when they see me for help with their resume or for interview tips,” she says.

Transferring experiential lessons to academics and future careers

During her internship, she was especially invested in reaching young girls in Afghanistan, who are currently banned from educational opportunities because of policies under the Taliban regime. Askari empathizes with Afghan girls, having been a refugee herself before coming to the U.S., when her family fled Afghanistan for Pakistan.

“I grew up as a refugee and was deprived of every potential educational opportunity that existed out there,” she says. “So, to see people still going through those challenges is not surprising, but what is surprising is that nothing is done to address those issues.”

Working with an international nonprofit supports her future career, she says, as she hopes to one day expand her own nonprofit. She founded Esheel Stitching Circle in response to educational inequality and the marginalization of Afghan women, and now has more insight into how large organizations can address those issues.

“My passion and energy are dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights,” she says. “Being a citizen of Afghanistan, it’s my responsibility to help women who are basically cut off from society now that I’m in a better position and in a community that supports me.”

As a TFAS Academic Internship Program alum, Askari is an alumni recruitment representative for the program at McDaniel College and can connect her fellow Green Terrors with TFAS.

“I’m bringing opportunities back home with me to McDaniel,” she says, “and I’m very excited to recruit McDaniel students for the 2024 TFAS academic internship.”