Valeria Torres Ruiz is an analyst of asylum case petitions. For her, the most significant part about this work has come from in-depth interviews she's conducted with migrants, which have led her to deconstruct the term "migration." She stopped seeing it as a statistically-measured social phenomenon, and instead gave a name and surname to each story. In her career, Valeria has a deep interest in being able to analyze and develop measures to mitigate violations of migrants' human rights. She also strives make sure migration is safe and wants to develop public policies at the regional and international levels which would provide opportunities for migrants that they are unable to find in their home countries.

Valeria discovered her passion for international development during her first years as an international relations student, where she had the opportunity for international experiences that helped her better understand the world. She participated in a volunteer program at McLeod Ganj in India, where the Tibetan government lives in exile. She also interned at Haynes Novick Immigration, a law firm in Washington, D.C., where she supported application processes for Temporary Protected Status, Humanitarian Parole, and refugee/asylee petitions. After completing her university degree, she was selected for an internship at the Japan Institute of Cultural Affairs. She has also worked on social risk assessment and fundraising for humanitarian projects in Latin America.

Studying at Georgetown has been Valeria's dream since she began her undergraduate studies. She is eager to learn from Georgetown's excellent and renowned professors, but also from her classmates. She believes that the GHD program will be a milestone in her life where she will begin to realize many personal and professional goals.

Summer Internship

During my summer internship at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangkok, I was part of the regional office in the "Resettlement and Movement Management" unit. I focused on regional compliance evaluation. This allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the regulatory and operational frameworks that guide resettlement and migration processes in various Southeast Asian countries. A key part of my work was collaborating with regional offices, which allowed me to develop essential intercultural skills by managing the complexities that arise from different socio-cultural and regulatory contexts.

One of the most notable moments was my visit to the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand, where I observed firsthand the operations of international organizations on the ground. This experience gave me practical insights into managing humanitarian crises' logistics and daily dynamics. It also contributed to my specialization in "Refugees, Migration and Humanitarian Emergencies", allowing me to apply theoretical concepts in real-life situations while improving my problem-solving and teamwork skills in multicultural and challenging environments.

This experience was crucial in strengthening my competencies in coordinating complex projects and managing diverse stakeholders, positioning me strongly for roles requiring technical and operational skills in the humanitarian and migration fields.