Spelman College is proud to announce Jocelyn Baker, C'2027, has been selected as a 2025 Douglass-O’Connell-Lewis global intern. An internship sponsored by the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, the Council on International Educational Exchange, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, and the African American Irish Diaspora Network. Baker will experience a transformative eight-week summer internship in Dublin, Ireland, honoring the legacy of Frederick Douglass and Daniel O’Connell.
Baker is one of only three students selected from colleges in Congressman Lewis' former district, joining a global cohort of high-achieving interns who will gain hands-on experience with Ireland-based companies while engaging in cultural and professional development opportunities in Dublin, Cork, and Belfast.
She first learned about the internship through her Spelman sister, Finley Warren, C’2027, who had participated in the program last summer. Because of Warren’s fascinating testimony, Baker was inspired to apply and allowed herself to be pushed outside of her comfort zone.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I am a really big people person, and my form of wellness and resetting is being around my people. So, the idea of being on my own in a country that I've never been to, working a real job with adults, is super scary but also extremely exciting,” said Baker. “I'm giving myself the opportunity to push my limits and be uncomfortable enough to grow and that's always a win and worth the risk of the unknown.”
Before finding out she had been accepted into the program by Kyndall Cox, the program’s coordinator, Baker was apprehensive about taking on a big assignment such as this; one that would challenge her socially and inherently stimulate Baker fundamentally at the core of who she is.
“At first, I was scared and hesitant to accept, eight weeks on my own in another country felt so surreal, but I knew if I let myself think on it too long, I would find a way to talk myself out of it, so I had to trust myself and say yes!”
Baker’s seeming eagerness to participate in this program has encouraged her to think more about the fruitful outcome the internship will yield. Contrary to her initial outlook on the program and the daunting aspects of traveling alone, she now has a more optimistic and hopeful perspective on studying abroad in Ireland and optimizing her experience there.
“I'm excited to find myself separate from my life at Spelman or my life in my hometown. I think the time I'll spend commuting, traveling across Europe and exploring the city will teach me a lot about myself,” said Baker. “This will be one of the first opportunities I'll have in my life to apply my schoolwork to actual work experience. I'm used to going to school, academic programs, and having part time jobs but working a 9-5 job is new to me. I know I will adjust and bring my best to the space, and I think the skills I will gain in Dublin will help shape my next two years at Spelman.”