The LSA Program in International and Comparative Studies (PICS) offers INTLSTD 170 Network Your Way to an International Internship and Career every semester. Led by instructor Klementina Sula, this course started in 2015 as an answer to students’ call for more internship and career advice and as part of the Program’s expanding offerings of active, engaged, and experiential learning. To date over 200 students have taken this course, and experienced it as transformational in their personal and professional growth. The experiences teaching the course have also led Ms. Sula to develop additional extracurricular workshops where students have had the chance to hone their skills in resume and cover-letter writing, and creating and curating their LinkedIn profiles to maximal effect in pursuing their international career goals. As a University of Michigan Alumna and participant in several international-focused programs herself, Ms. Sula believes strongly in the power of international experiences. “I support PICS because I believe in the power of international experiences. I believe that every PICS student - and every UM student - should pursue at least one international experience before they graduate. I want students to see the world, learn new languages, experience new cultures, and make lifelong friends... I am a firm believer that international experiences help students discover who they really are. My global experiences have had a profound impact on who I am and on the life that I lead -- and scholarships made my experiences possible.”

Her course has had very meaningful and important impact on PICS students and their futures. In his message to Ms. Sula, Christopher Letteer (BA ’18) for example writes: “Hi Tina, I don't know if you remember me, but I took your networking class in the Winter 2018 semester. I just wanted to give you an update on where I'm at a year later and thank you for all that you taught in the class. Last week, I was admitted to the MSI program, and I have accepted the offer and will begin classes in the Fall. The skills we learned in class helped me shape my resume as I pursued the campaign internship and admission to multiple graduate programs, and I have had no problem making the ask when I wanted to speak to someone I thought could help me in my pursuit of my goals. I could write an application essay before, but now I know how to reach out to people I may have thought of as out of reach before.” And Samuel Rosenblum, raising junior in International Studies writes: “There are not enough amazing things I can say about INTLSTD 170: Network Your Way to an International Internship and Career. Tina is not only an amazing teacher, but is one of the most influential and inspirational mentors that I've had in my college career. Each class we had was not only full of meaningful lessons and excellent networking and career advice, but they were also mini therapy sessions, in that whatever issues that anyone was having could all be openly addressed without fear of judgment or pushback. The class became a brain trust of advice and life lessons that helped push each student to find what areas they were most passionate about and how best to pursue them. She makes space for each student to speak their mind and share personal stories, and Tina would always be supportive and provide practical and personal advice. As a result of this class, I feel a lot more confident in finding a way to apply my passions and skills to the world outside of college. Tina is one of the greatest, most influential mentors I've ever had, and I can truly say that from my short time in INTLSTD 170, my perspective on my life after college has been completely changed for the better.”

The Program in International and Comparative Studies focuses on supporting our undergraduates to educate themselves and participate in debate about, and take positive, informed, and effective action on, global issues. Our commitment to students goes beyond the classroom, and this course INTLSTD 170 Network Your Way to an International Internship and Career offers students one such chance to explore, be curious and discover.

About:
Klementina (Tina) Sula, MA/MPP ‘11, BA ’07, University of Michigan
Tina is currently the Chief Development Officer at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, where she is responsible for all of the hospital’s fundraising efforts. Previously, Tina served as the Director of International Giving and Engagement at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), spearheading the College’s fundraising efforts outside of the United States. Tina has also worked for the US Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, the United States Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, the Club de Madrid in Madrid, Spain, and for the State Department in Washington, D.C.