91ɬ��

Discover how 91ɬ�� student Sarah Lane ’27 gained real-world global diplomacy and AI policy experience interning at International House in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina as a 91ɬ�� Nonprofit Leadership Fellow.

I found myself on a bus surrounded by people I never imagined I would meet in Charlotte: an information security expert from the National Bank of Kuwait, a lawyer from Bolivia, the cofounder of the top AI startup from Burundi, the head of AI compliance at Italy's largest bank and an AI consultant from Belarus. 

As we talked about artificial intelligence, career paths and life in our home countries, two delegates laughed as they admitted that discussing complex AI concepts in English was often easier than ordering food at a restaurant. At that moment, all of the behind-the-scenes planning that had gone into the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Freedom 250: AI Innovation and Security project suddenly became very real.

This summer, I interned with the Citizen Diplomacy department at International House, a Charlotte nonprofit that works under the auspices of the U.S. State Department to host IVLP exchanges. Through these exchanges, emerging global leaders visit communities across the U.S. to learn from one another, build professional networks, and gain a deeper understanding of American society. Watching delegates connect with Charlotte's entrepreneurs, universities, businesses and civic leaders showed me that diplomacy doesn't only happen in Washington—it happens through conversations over lunch, meetings in conference rooms, and friendships built across cultures.

As an intern, I worked on both proposal writing and program implementation. Before a project is awarded, our team developed proposals showcasing why Charlotte is the ideal city to explore a topic. Highlighting regional strengths while designing meaningful exchanges challenged me to think strategically from an international perspective. For approved projects, I created local program books, greeted visitors, coordinated logistics and joined professional visits.

One of my biggest takeaways was realizing how crucial nonprofits are to U.S. citizen diplomacy and soft power. My political science coursework at 91ɬ�� prepared me to analyze international relations, but this internship revealed how those global networks rely on local, trust-based collaboration across civic, business and educational sectors.

If there's one lesson I'll carry forward, it's that you don't have to travel halfway around the world to be globally minded. Whether attending a Swahili church service with Charlotte's Congolese community or facilitating AI roundtables, I learned that the first step toward understanding the world is simply showing up, listening and starting a conversation.