Written by Colin McEvoy | May 16, 2025 | SHARE
Lehigh University student Timmy Dillard ’25 has become the 61st consecutive student since 2019 to earn a prestigious internship at the United Nations, continuing the university’s unbroken streak of success.
Since 2019, a total of 61 Lehigh University students have applied for internships at the United Nations. All 61 of them have been accepted.
Timmy Dillard ‘25, an International Relations major with minors in Spanish and Philosophy, has been selected as the 61st Lehigh student in a row to intern at the United Nations, where he will serve in a six-month capacity at the U.N. Department of Global Communications.
“I’m ecstatic that my first stop after graduating will be at the U.N. headquarters in New York City,” Dillard said. “I will be helping non-governmental organizations and other civil society organizations apply for and participate in high-level U.N. conferences.”
Dillard previously interned with the Lehigh University/United Nations (LU/UN) Partnership, which provides opportunities for all Lehigh students, faculty, and staff to gain the skills necessary to become successful global future makers by engaging with the United Nations through curricular and co-curricular initiatives.
Dillard previously won the prestigious Boren Scholarship, and was a semi-finalist for the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. Lehigh’s Office of Fellowship Advising (OFA) provided guidance and assisted Dillard with his applications.
The Boren Scholarships provide undergraduate students with government funds for intensive language studies abroad in areas of the world considered critical for U.S. interests. Dillard used his award for intensive study of the Portuguese language in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he immersed himself in the culture and strengthened his international relations studies.
The LU/UN Partnership just finished a year-long celebration of its 20th anniversary. The year included events such as a visit from Ukrainian U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya, attending a panel with the President of the 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly, and presentations at the United Nations Conference on Gender Equality, among many more.
“My time engaging with the Lehigh/UN Partnership has changed my life already, so I can't wait to see what happens now that I'll be a part of the UN itself,” Dillard said.
Visit here to learn more about the LU/UN Partnership’s 20th anniversary and to see an interactive timeline featuring some of the partnership’s highlights and milestones.
Through his work at Lehigh and with the LU/UN Partnership, Dillard has interviewed senior U.N. officials, published globally engaged articles, helped direct events and organizational programming, and lived and studied abroad in Argentina and Brazil.