By Janissta Jetiyanonta

I am currently working as a communication assistant intern at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC- Thailand) in the One Health Branch under the Division of Global Health Protection. For those who have interests and passion in art, design, and creativity, CDC- Thailand offers various opportunities besides its well-renowned projects and success that are required of medical degrees in communication design.

For the application process, firstly, the most important thing is your portfolio that must consist of your past experiences in working with art, design, and creativity. The more you have, the greater chance the judges will consider. They can be any of your artwork pieces whether they be models, drawings, maps, graphic designs, posters, sculptures, etc.

The second most important are your transcript, resume, cover letter, 2-3 recommendation letters from your university professors, your English proficiency certificate such as IELTS, and all your certificates and accomplishments throughout your time as a student in college that are needed to be approved by MU International Relations Division and the Dean for International Affairs to nominate you and be included in the interview process.

Once you get chosen to be interviewed, you’re halfway there. If you get chosen for the internship, there will be an email informing you about it a week after the interview. Once you get selected, the next process is the security clearance with the US Embassy where you will have to fill out applications and have a telephone call interview with the staff. It can take a few days to finish all the paperwork. Once you conclude all the procedures, you are ready to start your internship.

As a communication assistant intern at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Thailand, we have weekly meetings to discuss updates which are now all held online because of Covid-19. It is truly a multi-international environment where you get to work with people mostly from the United States who work collaboratively with CDC such as WHO, UNICEF, NGOs, and Refugee & Migration. My personal work is to develop communication materials such as booklets and infographics for the One Health Branch under the Division of Global Health Protection at CDC and collect data about Covid cases at a global, regional (Myanmar), and local levels (i.e. Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi). The people here are very professional, friendly and knowledgeable. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, they also offer a field trip to the provinces. This position can give you a wider experience about the world and Covid-19 where you get to practice creativity, language skill, and data collection.

The author, Janissta Jetiyanonta, a student in the ICIR program and is a Communication Assistant Intern at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC- Thailand).