ISSUED: 12 June 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University and the Republic of Benin have signed an agreement that will make it easier for students from Benin to attend Shepherd and will give Shepherd students the opportunity to intern at the Embassy of Benin in Washington, D.C.
“This is an important agreement for the government of Benin and Benin students,” said Gafari N. Dango, chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Benin.
“We thank you for this opportunity for cultural student and academic exchange,” said Dr. Scott Beard, Shepherd provost. “We have been so excited to be the gateway to Appalachia and to West Virginia. Our students will benefit from having students from Benin here. We are already seeing the benefit with this wonderful internship opportunity.”
Zach Runion, a political science major from Charles Town, and Caley Stefanizzi, a global studies major from Boonsboro, Maryland, will be the first to intern at the embassy.
“I think it’s an excellent opportunity to help further my career aspirations,” Runion said. “One of my career goals is to become a foreign service officer at the U.S. Department of State and to work overseas helping people who wish to come to the U.S. find a pathway.”
“I think it will be a good opportunity to get involved in other cultures, be in a professional setting, and get experience working with different types of people and in different environments,” Stefanizzi said. “I’m really excited to be involved in this, especially since it’s the first time.”
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