Aarna Dixit (NYU Global Liberal Studies) |NANSEN | Brussels, Belgium
For my internship this summer, I will be working with NANSEN in Brussels, Belgium. NANSEN is an association created in 2017 by a group of lawyers and academics experienced in refugee law, human rights, and migration. NANSEN’s objective is to develop and make accessible to all people who need international protection and quality legal aid so that their fundamental rights are effective. To achieve this goal, NANSEN combines technical legal expertise with an interdisciplinary approach to asylum. I chose this organization due to my interest in refugee rights, as developed by my participation in the Liberal Studies Dean’s Honor Circle, and the following Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights (GFHR) Independent Study under Dean Mostov.
As someone who has been learning French throughout high school, and will be studying abroad at NYU Paris next year, I chose Brussels as a location so that I could explore the political scene and develop my language skills. As a central location to the EU and the UN, Brussels is a city of great political advocacy and grassroots organizing. Brussels is also known to be diverse, and I am interested in exploring the diversity in Brussels, and how this does or does not translate to equity and inclusion. I am specifically interested in women’s refugee rights and queer refugee rights, two areas that NANSEN is conducting projects and focusing on. Since NANSEN is a small, grassroots organization, I am hoping I will be able to take more lead on research projects. I hope to learn a lot from the people around me and explore the city’s politics and culture.