Many students at the University of Wisconsin-Superior complete internships prior to graduation, but it isn’t every day that a student lands an internship with the United Nations. Angelica Remache, a junior, double majoring in Economics and Political Science from El Tambo, Cañar, Ecuador, recently learned she had been selected from hundreds of applicants for an internship in the Office of the President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Remache had only days to pack her bags and board an airplane for her seven-month internship. Her previous work with the U.N. and in her home country of Ecuador undoubtedly pushed her resume to the top of the list. Remache has been serving as Ecuador’s Youth Ambassador at the Youth Assembly to the U.N. and as Ecuador’s Youth Ambassador for the World Youth Summit for Peace in Dubai. She has also written and published a book in Spanish called, “Te voy a contar un secreto.” (I will tell you a secret.)
Remache is an accomplished young woman by any standard and she said her motivation is to help people, particularly children in Ecuador – a passion she developed when only a child, herself.
“Ecuador is a developing country, so there is a lot of poverty and human rights issues there,” said Remache. “When I was growing up, I would see children dying on the streets because of hunger, and I just knew I needed to do something with my life to help change that. It made me ask myself why I have so many opportunities, when so many others do not.”
Before coming to America, Remache volunteered at an orphanage in Ecuador and said one child in particular has served as a source of motivation for her.
“She was just one or two years old when I started volunteering there,” Remache said. “She was so close to me and when she turned four, she started to call me ‘sister.’ I had never been called sister before because I am an only child. I’ve never forgotten her and I still keep in contact today. She and other children I’ve worked with give me motivation to keep working toward change.”
As a U.N. Youth Ambassador at The Youth Assembly, Remache’s role was to represent her country and provide input and perspective on issues facing Ecuador and the world, and bring others to the forefront to share their experiences, perspectives and ideas, as well.
Now, as an intern, Remache is working with the political and economic cluster of the Office of the President of the United Nations, travelling throughout the world to help carry out the U.N.’s initiatives.
“It is the biggest opportunity of my life,” she said. “It’s a highly competitive application process and I was thrilled to be chosen. I know it is going to change my life.”
Remache credited her professors for helping her prepare for the opportunity and supporting her throughout the process.
“I had to leave almost immediately when I found out I got this internship,” she said. “All of my professors were very understanding and supportive and made sure I could finish my classes and pick up where I left off when I return in the fall. I am very grateful.”
