University of Wisconsin–Madison

Guatemala: Lizzi White

Lizzi poses with three other people next to a bulletin board with photos and text in Spanish talking about diabetes.
Lizzi (second from left) with coworkers in Guatemala

Lizzi White is a UW-Madison senior with a double major in Industrial Engineering and Data Science, and a certificate in Global Health. This past summer, Lizzi participated in a research assistant internship in Guatemala. Here’s what Lizzi had to say about her internship!

What did you learn during your internship that will shape you in the long run?

During the Summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to study and work in Guatemala with a Global Health research team, which I have been involved with for the past two years. This unparalleled opportunity strengthened my understanding of global health work in action; learning, working, and building relationships with community health workers, the backbone of many health initiatives, I saw the inner workings and impact of this work. My time in Guatemala developed my understanding of cross-cultural collaboration and has inspired me to continue to use my background in industrial engineering and data science to collaborate internationally to address complicated global health issues.

What was the most challenging moment of your internship or time abroad? How about the most memorable?

My language study and full immersion was by far the most challenging yet rewarding aspect of my experience. My Spanish immensely improved throughout the summer, and I became much more confident in my conversational and listening skills. Before this summer, the idea of Spanish competency or fluency was inconceivable; now, I am determined to continue to work on my language skills.

What suggestions would you have for students considering this internship (or international internships in general)?

I would recommend students become as familiar with their internship country’s history and political atmosphere as possible before traveling. Through working with this team for two years and constantly learning about the sociocultural environment of Guatemala, I felt like I had a strong base of knowledge coming into the summer. This allowed me to ask deeper questions and gain valuable insights while in country!

Lizzi worked with the International Internship team within International Academic Programs to earn credit alongside her internship in Guatamala. Learn more about opportunities to intern abroad.