College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Gain Firsthand Experience in Germany’s Parliament

Two recent College of Arts & Sciences graduates, Helen Poe (C’22) and Soma Arens (C’24), spent five months this year in Berlin working in the German Bundestag, which is Germany’s main legislative body, through the International Parliamentary Scholarship (IPS) program. There, they gained firsthand knowledge of Germany’s parliamentary system and law-making process. 

The IPS is a competitive scholarship program offered each year from March 1 through July 31 by the German Bundestag in cooperation with Berlin’s three major universities — the Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Technische Universität Berlin — to approximately 120 young university graduates from up to 50 countries. 

The program’s goals include promoting relations between Germany and the participating countries and strengthening democratic values.

“Having Helen and Soma be selected shows how competitive our students are internationally,” said Peter Pfeiffer, a professor in the Department of German. “They are exceptionally well prepared to fully engage with the political and cultural life in Germany. Participating in IPS gives our students a unique opportunity to gain insights into how the political and professional work environment functions in Germany.”

Helen Poe (C’22)

Poe applied to the IPS program to better understand what the policy and law-making process is like in Germany. She wanted to learn how the lawmakers inform themselves, communicate with their constituents and reach compromises. 

“I don’t particularly want to be a politician myself, but I care deeply about cultural exchange and transatlantic relations and would like to work in a governmental organization that deals with these topics in some capacity,” said Poe, who graduated from Georgetown with a double major in German and Russian. “I was hoping to gain a better idea of what specific types of work I might be interested in. And I have!”

At the start of the five-month program, participants attend workshops, presentations and seminars designed to help familiarize them with the principles of parliamentary democracy and the local academic life. The majority of the program takes place in the office of a member of the Bundestag.

Poe typically started her days by sorting mail her member of parliament received. This was one of her favorite tasks. 

“The letters we received from constituents were a really great way to discern which topics the German public was most concerned about at the moment,” she said.

During weeks when the Bundestag was in session, Poe spent very little time at her desk. Instead, she attended parliamentary committee meetings, working group sessions, internal party meetings and sessions where members debated and voted on legislation. She also got to accompany her member of parliament to meetings with constituents, journalists, activists and nonprofit organization representatives.

Poe’s favorite “everyday activity” throughout her internship was attending the Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid meetings, where lawmakers met with experts from organizations like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

“Listening to the experts’ reports — and observing their interactions with lawmakers of various parties — has been incredibly eye-opening, and I’ve been able to learn a lot about specific humanitarian crises,” Poe said.

Poe credits her German coursework and linguistic electives as an undergrad in the College for preparing her to succeed in the IPS program. 

“At Georgetown, I learned to write and speak German at an academic level, which is crucial to dealing with complex topics in a fast-paced political environment,” said Poe, who is currently searching for jobs in the field of international education and cultural exchange. “I also developed a solid understanding of German culture, history and current issues and trends, which allowed me to more actively participate in discussions and understand political developments in context.”

Soma Arens (C’24)

Politics in the U.S. and Germany have always interested Arens. 

His mother is from Germany and he grew up speaking German at home. Arens had visited Germany prior to the IPS program, but the opportunity to spend five months in Berlin and learn about issues related to American and German foreign policy and transatlantic relations inspired him to apply. He left Germany grateful for the experience.

“Through the IPS, I have been able to meet like-minded young professionals working in political and political-adjacent fields from around the world,” said Arens, who was a history major and Spanish minor at Georgetown. “Aside from the clear professional benefits, this experience has also been socially rewarding and culturally enriching.”

During the first two months of the program, from the beginning of March to the end of April, Arens attended daily seminars, workshops and lectures. He learned about the German political system from guest speakers that included federal officials, Bundestag staffers, think tank researchers and analysts and journalists.

The second part of the program, from the end of April to the end of July, consisted of the parliamentary internship. Arens collaborated with colleagues to review and analyze proposed and existing legislation, conducted research on a variety of policy issues and prepared reports, wrote press releases and engaged with constituents via email and mail correspondence. A big part of his day involved attending parliamentary sessions, committee hearings and other meetings and briefings.

Arens said his Georgetown education and his time interning on Capitol Hill as an undergrad helped him prepare for the IPS program.

“The global mindset and intercultural awareness I was able to cultivate through my Georgetown education contributed immensely to making my experience in the IPS valuable,” Arens said. 

Working to serve constituents reminded Arens of Georgetown’s mission to live in service to others.

“Georgetown’s commitment to service and its mission of ‘people for others’ cannot be overlooked in the field of politics where, ultimately, during my internship, I had been working to promote the interests of my member of parliament’s constituents and, more broadly, to strengthen German democracy for the benefit of everyone,” he said.