Widening Circles—Global Social Impact Program
We encourage you to pursue a social impact internship, volunteer opportunity, research or project in conjunction with your participation in this program, but it is not required to do so. Experiences can be online, in-person or hybrid and can be abroad or with a local organization that has a global focus.
Through Omprakash, participants have access to over 200 Omprakash Partners in 50+ countries that are looking for student interns/volunteers.
Examples of Experiences through Omprakash Partners
Tony Chen
- Undergraduate Student, International Relations Major
- Internship: In-person with Connect Institute (Morocco)
“The Widening Circles program transformed my approach to aid work in Morocco, enabling me to transcend the traditional outsider role. By immersing myself fully in the local culture and daily routines alongside community members, I evolved from an external aid provider to an integral part of the community; it allowed me to align my efforts more closely with the true aspirations of the locals, enhancing the impact of my work in education. The program also reinforced the cultural competence and adaptability skills I developed at UC Davis, making it invaluable for anyone endeavoring to merge avant-garde insights with cherished experiences.”
Diego Lopez
- Undergraduate Student, Environmental Policy Analysis Major
- Internship: In-person with Long Way Home (Guatemala)
“The Widening Circles program complimented my internship experience perfectly. I specifically chose to work with an organization that is known for its community work with sustainability in mind because I wanted to be intentional with the kind of work that was going to be completed. The curriculum supplemented the physicality of the work and taught me about insight about being a foreigner. Some of the highlights were the feeling of accomplishment by the end of the internship but also learning about the importance of self-sufficiency.”
Genevie Hong
- Undergraduate Student, Cognitive Science Major
- Internship: Online with Pacific Links Foundation (Vietnam)
“Participating in the Widening Circles program was the absolute highlight of my summer in the sense that it was both eye-opening and transformational. Getting to read and hear about my peers' experiences with their internships whether studying abroad or making an impact locally was truly inspiring. The most important takeaway from this program was realizing that I did not have to travel hundreds of miles to another country in order to make an impact, I can make more of an impact locally and even in the comforts of my own home virtually. And, I did so this summer by interning at my local real estate company and teaching English lessons to students in rural Vietnam online. Being able to come together and reflect on what it means to "help" others while also considering a more holistic perspective on "doing good" helped me to think out of the box in multidimensions. I learned that there is so much complexity to every single thing in life from understanding what it means to "help" and to understanding the everyday objects and people that surround us. However, there is beauty in complexity and that is what makes life so worthwhile."
Yansong Li
- Graduate Student in Geography
- Internship: Online with the Paragon Institute of Innovation (California)
“As an international student from China, I embarked on my academic journey to help foster a more equitable, diverse, and sustainable world. The UC Davis Widening Circle’s program allows me to slow down, look inwards and outwards, and reflect on issues of power and change that sometimes glimpse my mind but are cast out by the rush of day-to-day life. For instance, in our first reflective blog, I got to sit down with my thoughts and plunge into a torrent of self-reflections on my positionality. Asking myself how I am situated in different praxis of power domestically and internationally has been enlightening. My internship is strongly related to my study and research interest in circular economy. As such, it also broadens my understanding of how my research may one day be practically applied.”
Please note: Internship or volunteer opportunities found through the Omprakash partners network are not under control or supervision of UC Davis or Global Affairs.
Self-Identified Internship and Volunteer Experiences
If you have already confirmed a social impact internship/volunteer experience for summer or are interested in opportunities outside of the Omprakash partners, we welcome you to still participate in the program!
Examples of Self-Identified Experiences
Eileen Dobzynski
- Undergraduate Student, Anthropology Major
- Research project: In-person with Project LEAP (Nepal)
“The Widening Circles Program's curriculum is really well thought out! The EdGE platform is designed to encourage critical thinking about your past, present, and future. My favorite part was how it connected students from different fields of study, grade levels, and lived experiences to discuss the complexities of our world and the role life-long learning plays in staying informed and being proactive when facing challenges. Additionally, the mentorship and support from the Omprakash team was amazing! They guided us with phenomenal questions that made me think deeply throughout my 3 months in Nepal.”
Felicia Zhornitsky
- Graduate Student in Medicine
- Volunteer and Research Project: In-person with Sacred Valley Health (Peru)
“I had the incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the work of Sacred Valley Health, a nonprofit dedicated to improving health outcomes by empowering community health workers. Their mission to provide culturally relevant healthcare education to Quechua-speaking indigenous communities opened my eyes to the importance of tailoring medical practices to local needs and traditions. I would definitely recommend the UC Davis Widening Circles program to anyone interested in critically examining themes surrounding sustainable global health work and social change.”