StFX student Audra Jander has been offered an internship at the International Criminal Court (ICC), headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
Ms. Jander, of Georgetown ON, is currently in her fourth year at StFX and is completing a BA in political science with a minor in chemistry.
The internship is for six months, December through June, and she will relocate to The Hague for that duration as it is the location of the court itself. Through her role, she will work alongside different departments and help organize meetings, collect information for presentations and other duties.
Ms. Jander says she’s nervous, but very excited for the opportunity.
“The ICC is an organization that I have always hoped to work for so this opportunity will hopefully provide me with networking connections and the chance to experience what my future may potentially be like.”
Throughout her four years at StFX, Ms. Jander says she’s had nothing but positive experiences. “I love having small classes and knowing my profs by name rather than just being a number.”
Ms. Jander is the second StFX student to intern at the ICC. The first was Sarah Jackson, who wrote an honours thesis on the ICC and then pursued a law degree.
StFX political science professor Dr. Lavinia Stan taught both students in her class, PSCI 335 Human Rights and International Justice, which is focused on transitional justice, meaning the way in which governments and international bodies reckon with the legacy of mass human rights violations.
“The fact that a small university like ours has two students at the ICC is quite remarkable. I am told we are the only university in Canada in this situation,” she says.
