Academics

Penn State World Campus student completes her studies while traveling the world

Penn State World Campus student Hannah Hernandez interned in the political operations section of the U.S. mission to NATO in Brussels through a State Department internship. Credit: ProvidedAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Exploring the Swiss Alps, working with American diplomats around the world and living in a rural village in West Africa are just a few of the adventures Hannah Hernandez has experienced while she has been a Penn State World Campus student.

The 22-year-old native of Tucson, Arizona, has worked abroad and pursued her degree through World Campus since she was 19. She is majoring in letters, arts, and sciences with a concentration in international security and plans to graduate in fall 2015.

“Living overseas has given me incredible experiences and opportunities I never imagined,” Hernandez said. After her first internship with the FBI’s international operations division in Washington in 2013, “I realized that there was a really big world out there and I wanted to be a part of it,” she said.

In 2014 Hernandez interned with the security department of the U.S. mission to the United Nations in Geneva and with the U.S. Consulate General in Naples, Italy, both through the State Department’s internship program. She is currently completing an internship in the political operations section of the U.S. mission to NATO in Brussels. Later this month, she will head to Dakar, Senegal to work at the U.S. Embassy.

In Brussels, Hernandez reported on meetings on topics including the Russia-Ukraine crisis and Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria, and helped plan a workshop on counter-terrorism and hybrid warfare awareness.

“It is fascinating work,” she said. “There are not many other places where I can see the shaping of U.S. foreign policy and its effects overseas first hand.”

Finding time for full-time work and school and finding her way around cities where she doesn’t speak the language can be “quite challenging,” Hernandez said. “I am so grateful for the support of the advising staff, the understanding of my professors and the guidance from the faculty of my degree program.”

The College of the Liberal Arts has been very supportive of her time overseas, granting her six internship credits and scholarship support. “Hannah’s experiences allow her to apply theory to practice,” said faculty member Diana Gruendler, who worked with Hernandez on her degree program. “The ability to have a seat at the table of history is remarkable.”

 “Hannah’s travels provide her with a unique opportunity to actually live the experiences she’s learning about in her classes,” said Andrea Buffone, Hernandez’s World Campus academic adviser.

Last Updated June 8, 2015

Contact