Asia Society Texas works with high school and university interns each semester through our Regions Bank Young Leaders Internship program. Under this program, we have partnered with various high schools and universities in the Greater Houston area to provide opportunities for students to engage with the broad swath of programs offered by Asia Society and learn more about nonprofit operations. Interns have worked in program development, research and curriculum-writing, outreach efforts, accounting and finance, and more. Through their time with Asia Society Texas, interns learn more about Asian art, history, and culture while gaining direct experience in a professional environment.

We'd like to shine a spotlight on one of our university interns, Rachaud Mitchell, who works with our Education and Outreach department.

Learn a little more about Rachaud and his internship experience below!

Quick Facts

Name: Rachaud Mitchell
School: University of Houston
Date of internship: Spring 2022
Favorite project you’ve worked on during your internship: Comic book storyboarding
Most interesting thing you’ve learned during your internship: I would say the most interesting thing I have learned so far is gathered from the deep dive into a country’s history: how the lay of the land affects advancements and inner reactions within a country. I also really enjoyed how the indirect influence of a culture's success can negatively or positively influence another and that affects the same to a neighboring culture.

Reflection

When I heard of the opportunity of being an intern at the Asia Society, my first thought was this is a perfect opportunity to gain a more realistic view of my goal to teach abroad from people who might hail from my areas of interest. Being a part of the Education and Outreach department would also give me the option to see how public education outside of the school system engages with the surrounding communities and how they may differ from my classroom teaching experiences.  

My experience within the internship has been an unexpected one full of favorable twists and turns compared to previous internships. I was part of a major exhibition that will become a future staple within Asia Society Texas. My deep dive into various cultures of the countries of Asia has broadened my views of those countries as well as an understanding of how they come to be in this day and age. The shifts from learning about the countries then being able to apply that knowledge to projects with more creative sides has been a fun experience. I hope to be able to incorporate these forms of educational planning in my own future lesson plans to make learning exciting.

Business and Policy programs are endowed by Huffington Foundation. We give special thanks to Bank of America, Muffet Blake, Anne and Albert Chao, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Nancy Pollok Guinee, and United Airlines, Presenting Sponsors of Business and Policy programs; Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, and Leslie and Brad Bucher, Presenting Sponsors of Exhibitions; AARP, Sterling Turner Foundation, and Wells Fargo, Presenting Sponsors of Education & Outreach; Syamal and Susmita Poddar, Presenting Sponsors of Performing Arts & Culture; Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Sponsor of the Japan Series; and Regions Bank, Title Sponsor for the internship program. General support of programs and exhibitions is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston Endowment, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, McKinsey & Company, Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and Vinson & Elkins LLP, as well as Friends of Asia Society.

Title Sponsor

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.