I was given the opportunity with my dear friend Lisa Leibfried (BSILR '16) to begin working with the Bekondo Foundation
a newly developing non-profit organization that strives to promote sustainable development from the cocoa crop in the village of Bekondo
At the time of applying to do Human Resources for this foundation on campus
my understanding of the Bekondo Foundation was limited
I was excited to be working on a mission that promoted a humane cocoa crop that would allow me to love the chocolate we eat while knowing that it was harvested through fair trade
I was ecstatic to be offered this opportunity
but to also find out that I would be working alongside my friend and travel partner from India the summer before made working with the Bekondo Foundation even sweeter (no pun intended). 
I learned of the wonderful natural resources in Cameroon that if properly integrated
would help foster a healthy community that not only would bloom from the cocoa crop
but also would enable the entire country to do better
By demonstrating awareness and creating a sustainable work arena
we helped turn the Bekondo Foundation into an endeavor that contributed not only to the humane treatment of workers
but also to a lifestyle that would support families and in turn the community
Lisa and I both learned the value of Human Resources when it came to keeping an organization together foundationally
we utilized our different skill sets to evaluate how the foundation could be stronger from the bottom up
We started with leading organizational meetings with the four co-founders to find out how they could
become better communicators as they embark on managing the foundation from different parts of the world
This became especially difficult as one co-founder was from the US
and the others were from different parts of Cameroon
but together we were able to analyze our strengths as a team
and we continued to remind ourselves about what made this mission so special to each of us
Lisa and I took on this role with much ambiguity
but as we had learned the summer before from Donna Ramil
we were able to really look at the organization from an outside perspective and share what we felt would be the most beneficial during our 6 weeks in country
We organized interviews for both internal and potential external employees
lead team exercises on strength building from the results of a SWOT analysis and personality tests
as well as created databases to track the foundation's goals and financial performance
With the help of our Cameroonian partner and Bekondo Foundation intern
we developed a new program called Women's Initiative for Village Entrepreneurship in which we held weekly meetings for women to come learn a new skill or learn how to be more sustainable with the readily available resources in the village
We lived in a community surrounded by strangers that we had no idea would soon become lifelong friends
We bonded with children daily over hand clapping games
and it helped me to once again understand the importance of respecting cultures outside of your own
Despite the difficulties in adjusting to a country that was entirely foreign to me from every other aspect of my life
I am and always will be grateful for Donna Ramil and her guidance throughout this entire process
Thank you to the ILR Travel Grant committee for funding me to embark on what was truly a journey of a lifetime
I received an ILR Travel Grant that facilitated my participation in an HR internship located in Córdoba
along with five other Cornell students to establish a start-up
self-sustaining catering service for a local disability center in desperate need of a steady source of income.  In addition
by hiring persons with disabilities to cook low-cost
we hoped to help bring an end to the stigma associated with persons with disabilities in Kenya while improving the general health of some of the low-income population of the Nakuru community
When my favorite government professor mentioned a future winter course in Cambodia to me last year
I listened excitedly about an opportunity I didn’t think I’d ever be able to pursue personally
When I reflect on the experience that was made possible for me by the International Travel Grant
I now understand how it was more than just an opportunity; it was a life transforming cultural immersion that has motivated me to travel
and volunteer both internationally and locally on a regular basis
© 2025 Cornell University | ILR School
This summer I had the opportunity to continue my spring semester HR credit internship with the Bekondo Foundation in Three Corners Bekondo
Jenna Gimbar (BSILR ’16) and I were able to travel to Cameroon with the funding we received through the ILR Travel Grant
strives for sustainable development in rural agricultural communities in the northwest region of Cameroon
My internship involved hands-on application of my ILR background
supplementing my coursework and interests nicely
I applied my knowledge of HR functions and tapped into my Organizational Behavior background as well to evaluate the foundation’s potential and structure
I was able to witness firsthand management within a transnational nonprofit organization as well as labor in an African economy
my role was to work in HR and to facilitate the foundation’s growth in various other ways
This was an empowering experience for me because I had autonomy in constructing what I believed my role should consist of
My main projects included conducting interviews for current and potential employees/interns
leading organization meetings including co-founder meetings
facilitating working sessions in the village
discussing unique challenges with US/Cameroonian HR processes
gathering data and analyzing the performance of the foundation
creating organizational documents to increase efficiency
and working with the community through women’s workshops on empowerment
Jenna and I spent a lot of time playing with the children in the village
We also enjoyed learning to cook local dishes from several of the women in the village
I developed a sense of self-awareness in a new cultural context and found meaning in being an active citizen
Such an experiential trip taught me the meaning of “think globally
act locally” and what it means to be a socially aware
I learned how to focus on collaboration and provide resources to a community to allow them to be more self-sufficient rather than trying to “solve” problems I saw in the village myself
The village of Bekondo welcomed me with open arms
I am humbled to have been part of a grassroots initiative like the Bekondo Foundation
and in particular to have worked so closely with women in the village
Forming personal connections within the village made my time in Cameroon unforgettable
Despite the (often difficult) cultural adjustment
I would highly recommend international travel to interested students because of the vast personal growth
and intercultural understanding that experiences such as this offer
This was a challenging adventure but one with many rewards
I learned a lot about myself as well as the African lifestyle
My incredibly rewarding experience this summer was made possible by the International Travel Grant award
I had an opportunity to do an internship for the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) in Brussels
I was able to participate through the generous support of the ILR International Travel Grant
I went to Lima to talk with leaders from different unions about their organizations' current and future strategies
After two days of hearing fellow delegates present their papers
and engaging in the thoughtful dialogue that followed each panel