Centre College's Elaina Waters to work at French Embassy in Washington, D.C.

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Elaina Waters

DANVILLE, KY (01/21/2014)(readMedia)-- Elaina Waters of Nicholasville, a junior at Centre College, is interning at the French Embassy during her spring semester in Washington, D.C.

Waters credits her two faculty advisors, Assistant Professor of International Studies Robert Bosco and Associate Professor of French Patrice Mothion, for connecting her to this opportunity.

"Dr. Bosco, knowing my interest in foreign affairs and international relations, initially suggested an internship at the U.S. Department of State, but the deadline for that internship had already passed," she explains. "Because I was also hoping to integrate French into my internship, Dr. Mothion recommended that I check out the Embassy."

As a French and politics double major with a minor in international relations, Waters could not have found a more perfect place to intern this semester.

"It's a good mix of my interests," she says, "since French culture, language and politics are heavily integrated into the internship. Essentially, it will be a crash course in French government and diplomacy, not to mention a good test of my language skills."

While at the Embassy, Waters will have the opportunity to create two Embassy-published newsletters, one monthly and one weekly. She will also assist Embassy officials with preparations for various events and visits by important dignitaries, as well as lead tours of the Embassy.

Waters is looking forward to the chance to flex her French muscles, both linguistically and politically.

"I'm excited about using my French in a professional setting," she explains. "I've never really used French outside of an academic setting, and I've been taking French since I was a sophomore in high school-it's really going to put what I've learned to the test.

"I'm also looking forward to learning as much as I can not only about the French government," she continues, "but also about international relations in general. I'm really looking forward to challenging and improving the skills I already have and adding new skills to my repertoire."

And while Waters is more than ready to strike out on this new internship adventure, she is very mindful of what it took to get her to this new and exciting experience.

"The education I'm receiving at Centre has prepared me to successfully carry out my responsibilities at the Embassy," she says. "I'm grateful to Centre, its faculty and my family for the support and encouragement to pursue this opportunity."

Waters is the daughter of Mark and Christa Waters of Nicholasville and is a graduate of West Jessamine High School.