BYUH student and an alumna shared their internship experiences with the International Affairs office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belgium
Through a unique internship attending European Parliament meetings weekly and introducing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to ambassadors, Sophie Rolie and Alexa Milad said they uncovered their passions for policy-making and international relations.
Sophie Rolie, a senior majoring in intercultural peacebuilding and political science from Oregon, said she is passionate about politics, improving communities around the world and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, she did not initially choose Belgium or Europe for location. She said she would have preferred a place in the Asia Pacific because it is in BYUH's target area. “Still, I chose Belgium for the experience and the mentorship,” Rolie said.
For Alexa Milad, a Winter 2025 graduate of political science and intercultural peacebuilding from Canada, said she was most interested in international relations—looking at policies and working with the European Union. “The fact that it was in Belgium was kind of a plus,” she added. She said she knows this internship opportunity through Rand Blimes, a political science professor.
Milad said her responsibility of doing ambassador outreach is divided into two aspects: working with the parliament’s members through working on policies and collaborating with ambassadors specifically in Belgium. Milad said they are called lobbyists, a middle person between the Church and the European Union. “Our main purpose is to open doors for the Church throughout the European Union. Every Tuesday, I go to the parliament with one of our trusted policy advisory partners, Must and Partners, to talk to [the parliament members],” she said.
On one hand, Rolie said her main responsibility is to organize different events to help lobbyists, ambassadors and government representatives to understand three Church’s initiatives: strengthen families, strengthen religious freedom and help humanitarian efforts. She said working with the ambassadors at the European Parliament made her understand their perspectives. “[We] get to learn about what's important to them, what's important in their countries and what initiatives they're trying to push forward in their government,” she explained. Rolie said this opportunity helped her to have a real life experience of what it is like to work in international relations.
“It was by the Lord's hand I was able to be here and have this internship,” Rolie said. She stated the first time she heard about Belgium internship was through a friend who did the same internship but in Washington D.C. “She told me what it was about and I said ‘That’s exactly what I want to do with my future’,” she shared. Rolie said after that conversation, she talked to her professors and put more time into curating her resume and cover letter, which eventually landed her the internship.
Rolie said she does not have specific expectations coming to Belgium. “My mindset about life is I try to not have too many expectations because I'm really open to whatever the experience offers,” she shared. She only expected it would be like a missionary experience. “I already knew it was going to be self-fulfilling. It was going to be a great purpose,” she explained.
For Milad, she said her expectations were exceeded. “I know that I’ll meet ambassadors and plan events but I never realized that we'd get to have this close interaction with them and be able to go to European Parliament meetings every week,” she shared. She said the amount of her responsibility in this internship is quite overwhelming. “But the experience is just beyond what I expected because I have access to more people, more organizations, more information than I ever realized I would have,” Milad said.
“Things I'm learning are how to set goals, follow through and fulfill them. Also, how to stay focused so that you can get everything done in time,” Rolie said. She explained she is not only trying to achieve her personal goals but the Church’s too, which is to spread the gospel of Christ. “I keep those bigger goals in mind for a bigger cause and purpose,” she added.
Milad shared she is learning how to be organized, quick-witted and prepared for problems ahead of time. “The little aspects of event planning are easy enough to learn but if you haven't learned it, then you couldn't just do it on your own. You'd make a lot of mistakes,” she stated. Milad said learning how to read news or policies is one of the skills she gains. She said everyone should learn how to read the news and identify what is important or not. “Because no matter what you're doing, you're consistently reading the news, media or learning information online. Then, you should be able to figure out what's valuable to you and what's not,” she explained.
“I’m not only leaving with these skill sets”, Milad said, “but I’ll be leaving with mentors who can help me do what I want to do with my future.” She said she would love to have her own NGO one day and doing this internship made her realize her preference. “I’m really interested in policy making and doing the internship gave me a chance to be surrounded by people who have all the skills that I lack but I want to develop,” Milad said.
Rolie said one of her challenges in this internship is stepping out of her comfort zone when speaking to the diplomatic corps. “For example, we went to the European Parliament and we had to identify and memorize the names and faces of the members. I introduce myself in 30 seconds and see if I can exchange contacts which can be pretty intimidating,” she shared. However, she said she overcame it by practice and simulations. “I also say a prayer and ask Heavenly Father to help guide my work everyday,” she added.
Milad also admitted she made a lot of mistakes when starting. “Especially since our director had to be out of the office a lot, we had to think on our feet fast,” Milad said. However, she said everyone around are kind and patient towards her. “So I’m teaching myself patience and allowing myself to learn from my mistakes to overcome those challenges,” she said. Milad added that prayer helps her too. “I pray to see myself how God sees me and to learn faster so that I can be active in the office,” she explained.
“You're going to spend every single day of your life towards your career. So, might as well go into something that's worth something,” Rolie said. She stated the internship influences her career goals and academic path. Since she felt drawn towards international relations, Rolie wants to work more in humanitarian affairs. “I got to work in helping people understand each other's points of views, even when they have differences of opinion and religion and belief,” she explained.
Milad said there are two aspects an individual should keep in mind when considering an internship abroad: financial preparation and goal setting. First, “make sure you’ve saved up because you need to have enough money for food and rent. Don’t forget to have fun too,” she said. Second, “[goal setting] can help you see where you need to improve and how you are improving along the way,” she explained. Furthermore, she said to not be afraid to ask for help. “But before you ask for help, do everything you can to figure out the answer on your own,” she said. Milad added having a good routine ahead of time could be helpful too. “It is one way of getting used to a lifestyle that you can easily adapt when your internship comes,” she said.