Our French Intern is passionate about European Affairs
Nowadays, young people like to gain some experience by travelling, networking and sometimes also volunteering along their studies. Establishing a good professional reputation, they seek for skills, opportunities, and know-how. Internship is an option to add value to working experiences and that is why we interview our enthusiastic intern, Lucas Pitaval, who is fascinated by many other affairs.
What attracts you to Central Europe?
Lucas: you’re probably curious if I’ve been directly “imported” from France. So, let me make some disclosure. After my bachelor studies I graduated from the EHESS, a renowned French school specialized in social sciences in Paris. There I studied history of Russia, Caucasus, Central-Asia but also Central-Europe. I wrote a research thesis on the impact of the Prague Spring and the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact troops on the work of the French diplomacy in the country.
What matters are you passionate about?
Lucas: I started to study Czech language when I worked as an intern in the cultural and political sections of the Czech Embassy in Paris. This is how my specialization on this fascinating geographical area started. Passionate about international relations and European Affairs, I decided to attend the College of Europe in Natolin, Warsaw. In this institution I studied European Interdisciplinary Studies. I had opportunities to travel through Poland and to engage with leading figures at the European scale. I also wrote a thesis, this time on how the historical memories of the Prague Spring and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 impacted the communication strategies of V4 leaders, and the justification of their foreign policy in the context of war in Ukraine.
How it comes that French ended up here in Bratislava?
Lucas: I started to look for work opportunities to gain professional experience in a field related to my studies. I was also keen on going on an adventure in a new country, discovering a new culture, a new language and to meet new people. And with a specialization on the Visegrad countries, I naturally turned myself to the only institutionalized form of regional cooperation in the V4 – the International Visegrad Fund.
What experience do you gain within our team?
Lucas: I am learning a lot of new skills, especially in project management, for example the evaluation of projects proposals. On the other hand, I bring support the communication activities of the team by searching for current media info from the countries of Central Europe. Nonetheless, if you would be interested in interning or even working at the Visegrad Fund be cautious. I must warn you because by doing so, you take the risk of meeting an inclusive and supportive team, working in a nice historical building located in the downtown of Bratislava, and to benefit from a stimulating working environment with “kávička” breaks.