#KeepingUpWithTheInterns
Hey all! I hope you are all good and that you’re enjoying this blazing hot summer! It has been a while since we wrote a blog post but do not worry we are back again! Today I will be interviewing Erna Landgraf, who just finished an internship with aditus foundation. So without further ado let’s get to know Erna!
M: Would please introduce yourself?
E: Well, let’s see… I am a 26-year-old Hungarian who finished law school in February and had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do. All I knew was that my job needs to help and serve others, what I do needs to matter to someone – not to a company, but to a human being. Or preferably to more human beings. I also knew that I wanted to travel and see what there is to see, so I applied for the Erasmus+ traineeship program a year beforehand and I won the scholarship that enabled my internship at aditus.
M: What was your internship about?
E: Generally speaking, the internship made it possible that I get familiar with the Maltese and European asylum and migration law, the principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination and human rights in general. But for me personally it was about way more than that since this was my first workplace after getting my law degree, so I wanted to pay attention to every little detail. Besides, it was also about gaining a sense of responsibility that the work I do might determine someone’s future… So I’d better do it well not only because of my own maximalist attitude – what motivated me throughout my studies – but also because someone is counting on me.
M: How did you find out about aditus foundation?
E: Actually, it was quite random. One evening I was talking to one of my friends about where to apply for my Erasmus traineeship. I was a bit puzzled so I tried to list all the criteria that I found important. Then he told me that he knew just the place. As it turned out one of his very good friends worked as a lawyer at aditus, so I talked to him, checked the website and knew immediately that this was the place for me.
M: What was it like doing an internship with aditus foundation?
E: This internship was the best possible way to start life after university for me. The atmosphere was always amicable and welcoming, I was never afraid to ask questions which made it so easy to learn more and more. I also find that at a small organization such as aditus, one gets to see all the work that is getting done which is great for a recent graduate. I was involved in many different tasks and projects, so I experienced not only a marginal slice of the work but saw the process as a whole. It was definitely a great experience and I am very grateful for it.
M: What was it like doing an internship during COVID-19? Was it challenging being locked inside in a foreign country?
E: No, I do it all the time…
Jokes aside, it was a very challenging time for me, especially in the beginning when we had no idea for how long it would last. It was a tough decision to stay, everyone was telling me that it would probably be better for me to go home, but I am sure that I made the right call. I had a feeling that I would never again have so much alone time in my life again, so I tried to make the best of it.
M: What was one thing that you will cherish from this internship?
E: I cannot name just one thing, I will cherish it as a whole together with all the difficulties that Covid caused and all the rest that was amazing (here I would like to mention the figolla that we got for Easter…).
M: What is your favorite quote?
E: Hmm… I am really bad at choosing favorites and I have many quotes that I like… There’s one from Winston Churchill that I hope many of our readers will agree with: “Those who never change their mind, never change anything.”
Thank you so much Erna for finding time to answer my questions and I wish you all the best for the future! I hope you enjoyed your time here in Malta and at aditus foundation.
For anyone that would like to apply for an internship with aditus foundation, all you need to do is send a covering letter, an updated CV to info@aditus.org.mt (preferably with an indication when and for how long. If you wish any further information you can just click HERE.
I hope you all enjoyed this week’s blog post and see you next week!!
Matthew xx
#KeepingUpWithTheInterns is part of our project Marginalised Persons as Human Rights Volunteers. If you want to follow Matthew and Rimaz as they navigate their way through Malta’s human rights landscape, subscribe to our News & Updates or follow them on our social media pages!
This project has been funded through the Voluntary Organisations Project Scheme managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector on behalf of Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sports and Voluntary Organisations within the Ministry for Education and Employment. This project/publication reflects the views only of the author, and the MEDE and the MCVS cannot be held responsible for the content or any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
