North Carolina
Brittany Atkinson

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Brittany Atkinson attends the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a declared major in theater design and as a member of the Lloyd International Honors College. In the spring of her freshman year, she studied abroad in Mannheim, Germany. “Studying abroad has been a pivotal point in my studies – the experience was essentially a crash course in life as a global citizen,” Brittany said. “Upon returning home, I realized I had a passion for international relations and business functions. To pursue these interests, I changed my major to focus on international business and began working the International Programs Center Study Abroad Office. The following year I took part in an internship program called UNC in D.C. I had the great opportunity to intern with the Peace Corps’ Office of Special Initiatives, designated for collaborations with the White House, State Department and United Nations. I worked directly under the director and helped to develop a proposal to establish an initiative that aims to provide computers, internet access and training to students in developing countries. This proposal was picked up by the United Nations under the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. In addition, Secretary Ban Ki-moon has issued his official blessing of the initiative. As a result of my work with this proposal, I was asked to intern with the UN in New York this past summer. I have attended several conferences with them, including the International Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas. Recently, I was awarded a certificate of recognition at the Clinton Global Initiative University in Austin, Texas for the area of Poverty Alleviation and Leveraging ICT to Bridge the Digital Divide. This fall I will study abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. While in Africa, I will visit some of the schools benefited by the computer initiative.”