By Samantha Eliason, Communications Intern

This month we welcomed our fall Communication Intern, Samantha or Sam, to Mali Rising. We asked Sam to tell us a little about herself so that the whole Mali Rising community can get to know her. Read on to learn more about Sam and the great work she is tackling at Mali Rising.

Tell us a little about yourself Sam.

My name is Samantha (Sam) Eliason and I’m excited to be an intern at Mali Rising this year. I am currently a senior at Logan High School in Logan, Utah where my favorite subjects are history and social sciences. I am the third out of four kids; my dad and uncle have both served as board members at Mali Rising, so I have been aware of the work and goals of Mali Rising previous to my internship and have always wanted to get more involved!

What are you going to be doing during your internship time with Mali Rising?

As an intern, I will be working to reconnect U.S. Mt. Logan Middle School in Utah to Mt. Logan Middle School in Mali. Finding ways for the students to connect across the globe will be one of my main projects. I hope to start a letter exchange between students, implement menstrual kit making into sewing classes, and educate the students of U.S. Mt. Logan about the challenges that their counterparts face. I will also be working on a social media campaign trying to reach and engage members of the Mali Rising community through Instagram. We hope to expand the reach of Mali Rising to young people as well as increase the involvement of our community. Along with my internship, I will be working as a Youth Ambassador to complete service, outreach, and fundraising projects within my community. Lastly, I will be working to come up with more available service opportunities for members of the Mali Rising community that will take into account the difficulties of shipping to Mali. I will share some of my experiences and research with the Mali Rising community through blog posts throughout my internship.

What attracted you to this internship?

After returning from a humanitarian trip to Zimbabwe this summer, I wanted to continue finding opportunities to make a difference worldwide as well as learn more about international development. When I mentioned an interest in doing an internship, my dad mentioned Mali Rising. The Mali Rising Foundation is a perfect fit for my interests in international development and nonprofit work. I am excited to learn more about the field I hope to go into one day!

What do you hope to learn or take away from your internship?

I am excited to learn and improve my communication skills through interviewing, storytelling, and content creation on social media. I hope to come away having heard many success stories of the students in Mali and with the knowledge that I’ve made a difference in the lives of others. I am also excited to see the components of nonprofit work, as well as the role it has in international development.

What do you do for fun outside of school and interning?

Outside of school and interning I love backpacking and running cross country. During the winter you can find me on the ski slopes or reading a good book. As a former dancer, I love watching dance shows on TV, as well as watching and listening to musicals. I also love to travel--this summer I crossed four new countries off my list!