Written by Layne Fennell | April 25, 2024 | SHARE
As an engineering student, Shoshanna Victor was an unconventional candidate for an internship at the United Nations. Now, as the 55th Lehigh student in a row to be placed as an intern at the UN, she is working with a team to collaborate with activists such as actress Charlize Theron, monitoring and assisting with projects centered around gender equality and female access to education.
Victor currently serves as an intern within the Department of Global Communications at the UN, where she supports the Messengers of Peace program. This program utilizes the platforms of globally recognized celebrities, including figures such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Goodall, and Yo-Yo Ma, to advocate for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The UN uses these Messengers of Peace to promote causes that they believe are of note and worthy for the world to pay attention to,” said Victor.
In addition to her work with Theron, Victor is actively involved in organizing the upcoming International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. Her responsibilities include coordinating aspects of the event, which will feature current and former athletes, as well as representatives from the Paris Olympics, to discuss the intersection of sustainability and athletics.
Despite earning a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Lehigh, Victor’s journey exemplifies a student who was determined not to let her potential be limited to her academic background.
“I don’t think that we should be siloed into whatever we chose to study. One of the many points of going to college is to enrich your already established education” said Victor.
She outlined that any working team environment shouldn’t only include students with one train of thought because it hinders the team’s ability to come up with diverse solutions.
“I think that STEM, specifically engineering, teaches you how to look at a situation from all points of view and to find the path of least resistance,” said Victor. She said that her skills in technology and systematic approach to her workload, as well as the fact that she is the youngest member of her team, gives her a unique perspective that contributes to the team’s diverse array of talents.
“I don’t think anybody… should think ‘I can’t do it because I don’t have it on my resume’. No one has it until they do it,” she said.
Victor said she chose to attend Lehigh in 2018 largely due to its status as a Non-Governmental Organization and its unique partnership with the UN.
Having grown up in New York City, a uniquely diverse environment, Victor considers herself a “global citizen,” and attributes her passion for international affairs and people-oriented workplaces to her upbringing.
Victor’s determination to pursue diverse opportunities led her to connect with Bill Hunter, the director of the Lehigh University / United Nations Partnership, ultimately leading to her involvement in the internship.
Looking ahead, Victor is intent on accepting the uncertainty of life after graduation, viewing it as an opportunity for self-discovery and exploration beyond the constraints of her undergraduate studies.
“My resolution after graduating was to allow myself to not have a plan for one year, because I think the pressure to become an adult when you’re a young adult makes your twenties clouded, and I’m only going to be 23 once,” said Victor.
“I don’t actively have a next step. My next step is to learn what my priorities are so I don’t make a misstep,” she noted.