WTCSav graduates its first intern class and welcomes a new

Maria Isabella Olmos joined Armstrong Atlantic State University as a freshman through the Georgia Rotary Student Program and recently completed her sophomore year studying international economics. Described as professional, positive and energetic, she was part of the first class of interns working at World Trade Center Savannah (WTCSav) in the Programs and Special Events department and has recently transferred for an internship at World Trade Center Dublin, Ireland. Her responsibilities at WTCSav included assisting with the planning of global educational programs and seminars, and coordinating international delegations and dignitaries. Olmos, a native of Barranquilla, Columbia heard about the WTCSav intern program through Career Services at AASU. “We first met Maria at a career fair at Armstrong and she impressed us with her individuality and interest in our program emphasizing her desire to continue to pursue her knowledge of international trade,” said Leigh Ryan, Director of Trade Services and Foreign Trade Zone 104 for WTCSav.

Olmos was looking for summer internship opportunities on the World Trade Centers Association’s website when she discovered the opportunity at WTC Dublin. After a Skype interview and a formal application process, Olmos was accepted and will spend two months in Dublin, Ireland to further her knowledge and experience in international trade.

“In Dublin, Maria will be working with ten to fifteen interns from all over the world so cross-culturally, this will be a fabulous experience for her,” Ryan said. “At World Trade Center Savannah, we want our interns to learn about our organization, the WTC network and global trade opportunities for our regional companies, but we also want them to leave with the skills that are invaluable from working in a professional and team environment and exposure to real world deadlines. Maria has a great opportunity ahead of her in Dublin and will return to Armstrong in the fall with an even broader knowledge of international trade and foreign direct investment”.

The WTCSav internship program began in January 2013 and is mirrored after the successful program at WTC San Diego. WTCSav learned much from the more established program in San Diego that trains 150+ interns per year and devised a program that is more suitable for the Savannah region. “We’re interested in the quality of students we accept as interns rather than having a large quantity of students working with us. The program is still new, but we had an amazing 1st group of five interns representing Georgia Southern, Armstrong and SCAD. Our new groups of interns are from Savannah State University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia Southern University and University of South Carolina. Overall it’s been a great experience,” Ryan said.

“We currently offer five areas for internships including finance, trade services, marketing, research and programs. We promote our internship program through five regional colleges and our web site. We also encourage international students to apply because it’s a great opportunity that aligns with our mission and we had four international students representing Brazil, Mexico, Columbia and Germany. WTCSav offers five-month internships three times per year with resumes for the Fall due by August 28th. For more information please visit our web site www.wtcsavannah.org.

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