Who We Are Interns
| 24 June 2009
Atul Menon, 20, from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada is our newest intern. He joined us at the end of June and will be working with us till the end of August 2012. Atul has just completed his first year at university and declared his major in International Studies with a concentration in International Security and Conflict as well as a minor in Political Science. Atul writes as a guest columnist for a new International Affairs magazine and website in Canada: the Hidden Transcript. Prior to joining the International Security Forum, Atul interned with the Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales AIESEC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for Project Miracle: Environmental Sustainability and Awareness. Atul is also the co-president of Engineers Without Borders at Simon Fraser University for 2012-13.
Shota Shvelidze, 26, holds a BA in History of Diplomacy and International Relations (2006) as well as an MA in Contemporary and Modern History of Europe and America (2009) from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. He also completed postgraduate studies: MA in European Studies, The University of Applied Sciences Bremen (Hochschule Bremen), International Graduate Centre (2010). He worked at the Information Centre on NATO in Tbilisi as a Chief Specialist (2008) and at the Berghof Conflict Research, Berlin (2010-2011) as an intern. In 2009-2010 he was awarded DAAD/OSI (German Academic Exchange Service/Open Society Institute) joint scholarship for MA studies and language courses in Germany. He has been engaged in conflict transformation research as well as in informal Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian dialogue projects. Early in 2011 he has been awarded Leonardo Da Vinci EU Human Mobility fund for internship placement. Apart from his native Georgian, he is fluent in English, Russian and also speaks German. Shota started his two-month internship with the International Security Forum on 1 April 2011.
Agata Maria Helmecka, 25, holds a BA in International Relations from Tischner European University (TEU, 2006), Krakow, Poland. She currently studies for the MA degree in International Project Management also at TEU. Agata was a coordinator of 'Academy 30+ Lifelong Learning Programme of the Foundation for the Jagiellonian University, Krakow (Sep 2007 - Oct 2008). She also worked for Open-Up and Scena FM Event Agency of her native town (2008). Apart from her native Polish, she is fluent in English and speaks also French and Italian. Agata joined International Security Forum in July 2009.
