OSU student accepts internship with state department

Monday, October 13, 2008

(Oct. 13, 2008, STILLWATER, Okla.) – Oklahoma State University student Blake McMahon recently received a prestigious internship from the U.S. Department of State.
 
McMahon will intern this spring for the Office of Austrian, German and Swiss Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, based at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland.
 
The bureau plays a key role in U.S. policy related to Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. “I look forward to seeing concepts and ideas being applied in the real world,” said McMahon, who is a double major in political science and German. “I want to see my text books come to life.”
 
As part of the internship, the Tulsa junior will study consular and political affairs, as well as attend government events.
 
“Applications come from every school, college and institution of higher learning all over the country so that’s a lot of people,” said James Scott, head of the political science department at OSU.
 
“This is a very competitive internship that is based on academic excellence,” Scott said. The application process also involves a security check.
 
“There are only 195 countries in the world and not too many accept interns,” Scott said.
 
To learn more about the political science department at OSU, visit http://polsci@okstate.edu or phone (405) 744-5569.