Over the course of eight weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rhodes College junior Lily Grace Richey didn’t just study global issues; she was living them.
As a 2025 Rhodes College Mertie W. Buckman International Scholar, Richey was interning with the nongovernmental organization Global Planet of Children. She helped craft engaging social media messaging, translated documents, and communicated with potential donors, all while contributing to the organization’s initiatives to strengthen families, improve disadvantaged children’s health and boost their self-esteem, and provide educational tools promoting better communication between parents and children.
“One of the most fulfilling parts of my internship was helping to set up birthday parties for children in difficult circumstances and seeing how delighted families were,” she says. “It made everything feel real—like the work we were doing truly mattered.”
Beyond the day-to-day responsibilities, the experience pushed her growth in unexpected ways. Whether speaking with coworkers or writing emails in Spanish, Richey found herself constantly improving her language skills while gaining firsthand insight into nonprofit work on an international scale.
“It challenged me, but in the best way. I was learning how to navigate a new environment, a new language, and a new kind of work—all at once.”
That internship in Argentina proved to be an extension of an earlier Rhodes Maymester in Cuenca, Ecuador, where Richey fully engaged in both cultural and academic environments. “We were learning not just from Rhodes professors, but from professors there—hearing their perspectives, their language, even their slang,” she says. “It was completely immersive. Every day, you were learning something new.”
These experiences abroad reflect a larger pattern in Richey’s academic and personal journey: a desire to understand the world not just in theory, but through lived experience. A native of Greensboro, NC, Richey is pursuing an international studies and history bridge major with a minor in media studies.
“History gives me context,” says Richey. “When I see what’s happening in the world, I can understand the background behind it. It deepens how I think about global issues and connects everything together.”
“I’ve loved history for as long as I can remember, but I also knew I was interested in diplomacy and global affairs. The bridge program allows me to do both.”
That flexibility has been central to her academic experience, enabling Richey to explore a broader range of courses—from pre-law to media studies. Richey also has applied what she has been learning in her classes to a local internship at the National Civil Rights Museum, where she contributes to event planning. “It’s been a whole new environment,” she says. “Learning how to navigate a professional space, building relationships with coworkers, and just adjusting to something completely different has been a challenge, but a really good one.”
While still interested in international work, her internship has introduced her to careers in museums and nonprofit spaces—fields she now sees as viable and meaningful paths.
Whether in the classroom, abroad, or in professional settings, Richey has developed skills that extend beyond academics: adaptability, communication, and the ability to connect with others across differences.
“These are things you can’t fully learn in a classroom,” she says. “You have to experience them. Opportunities are out there,” she says. “You just have to be looking—and be ready when they come.”
By Jeb Mathis '27