Hannah Josephson, a double major in Political Science and Modern Language (French) with a minor in history and a member of Louisiana Tech’s Class of 2020, has been chosen for a prestigious internship as a lingual analyst for Nonviolence International-NY (NVINY), an organization dedicated to advocating for nonviolent solutions through peace education and international advocacy.

“It is my absolute dream grad program,” said Josephson, who recently moved to Alexandria, Virginia, and began her first semester at New York University’s School of Professional Studies, where she’ll pursue a master’s degree through the university’s Translation Interpreting Program.

Gaining this role in the organization was a long process of waiting and interviewing. After seeing the posting for the internship on a job search site, Josephson sent in her application to the website.

“From there, I was contacted by the organization and asked to complete two assessments,” she said. “I scored high on both of those and received an email shortly after, asking to set up an interview. My interview was over the phone and had sections conducted in both English and French.”

“Hannah was an outstanding student; I was so fortunate to have Hannah in both of my small, advanced classes,” said Dori St.Amant, an instructor in Tech’s School of Literature and Language. “She had beautiful French and was always motivated and engaged both in and out of the classroom. I was thrilled to learn that she wanted to pursue a master’s degree in French translation and even more thrilled that she got into one of the very top programs in the field. I truly couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishments.”

For students entering either college or the work force, Josephson is a perfect example of hard work and dedication. From Maplewood, Minnesota, she moved to Ruston and earned her double major, then immediately moved again to follow her dream.

Interns had worked out of New York City until COVID-19 restrictions demanded they work remotely. Josephson is working with a team of three other interns, translating the organization’s articles from English into French. This helps the organization reach more people globally with information on peaceful conflict resolution and disarmament.

Josephson has also recently applied for an internship with the United Nations.

“My dream is to be a UN translator,” she said, “so I’m hoping to hear back and intern for the UN when my time with NVINY is over.”

For Josephson, the road to her internship and early impressive success concerning her education was a very long journey, but she kept her head high and worked hard. She saw an opportunity on a website, submitted her application, stayed positive, and began interning for a respected organization. This hard work has not gone unnoticed — Josephson has been invited back for a second semester with the NVINY and is up for consideration for a supervisor position.

“I never would’ve imagined that I would get into my dream school or get an internship that I was so excited about,” she said, “but it happened.”

“I look forward to her email telling me she is working with the UN,” St.Amant said. “I knew she’d do great things, but not this fast.”