APEC Secretariat internship a lifechanging and life-defining experience

Francesca: "My internship has been more than insightful and meaningful, it has been stretching, career-defining, and life-changing!"

In a world filled with supply chain disruptions, regional conflicts, climate change, and displacement, it can be easy for communities, businesses, and individuals to feel hopeless.

Yet my internship with the APEC Secretariat has fundamentally changed my thinking—it opened my eyes to see how much work is being done behind the scenes to facilitate freer, smoother, and fairer trade for all, both multilaterally and bilaterally.

Trade is vital. It not only helps the world go around but fundamentally connects people, resources, talents, and solutions globally.

Living in Singapore for the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to immerse myself deeply in one of the world's most important commercial hubs, where cultures and ideas mix and innovative solutions are born.

Francesca: "My own perspectives and biases were challenged and stretched by the people I met..."

My own perspectives and biases were challenged and stretched by the people I met from around the world and through my experiences exploring Singapore itself.

Living overseas independently for the first time developed me personally while allowing me to assess firsthand what trade brings to people—from local hawker centres and large construction sites to public infrastructure and bustling shopping malls.

Through my time at the APEC Secretariat, interning for the Executive Office and the Communications and Public Affairs Unit, and attending APEC's Senior Officials' Meetings in Gyeongju and Jeju, South Korea, I dove deep into multilateral cooperation, negotiations, and discussions behind trade policy and facilitation.

Travelling to Gyeongju and Jeju, South Korea, to attend APEC's senior officials' meetings was a highlight of the internship experience for Francesca

For the first time, I realised how interconnected our world's economies truly are. It's not just about exports and imports, it's about food security, human resources and education, digital technologies, customs, standards, health, oceans, and much more!

Witnessing APEC's 21 economies come together to collaborate and share best practices shed light on how, even in such a fractured world, there is still hope in building fundamental systems and structures to ensure global economic growth includes everyone.

Attending APEC 2025 Korea deepened my understanding of the challenges countries must work together to solve.

As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into every aspect of the economy and daily life, it's vital to ensure everyone is included in this technological revolution. This means ensuring basic infrastructure reaches rural communities, providing access for vulnerable populations, and upskilling and reskilling current workforces.

Getting out and about in South Korea

Many countries today are experiencing declining birth rates and rapidly aging populations, placing pressure on upcoming generations and governments. This urgency drives economies to work together on better social safety nets and reimagining what future work looks like.

But the biggest highlight of my internship was the people I met and the opportunity to shed light on the hope and multilateral work being done for various communities through social media.

From interviewing APEC Senior Officials about what APEC is and why it's valuable, to exploring Korean culture and meeting small-medium enterprise owners, to showcasing the amazing volunteers who make these fruitful meetings possible and also conveying creatively APEC’s work, I learned the importance of public relations and diplomacy.

Francesca: " ...the biggest highlight of my internship was the people I met..."

Through my internship, I realised the importance of effective communication, where new resources, policies, networks, and solutions can connect the public and private sectors to create a better future for all, especially in today's seemingly troubled world.

My internship has been more than insightful and meaningful, it has been stretching, career-defining, and life-changing!

I am now encouraged to dream bigger and follow through with such ambitions, to take part in making the world a little better, one step at a time.

I cannot thank my colleagues, who have become my dearest friends at the APEC Secretariat, for making this new experience so wonderful and meaningful for me.

The Foundation's Business Programme supports New Zealand companies to better understand Asia so they can make the most of opportunities in the region. It also supports to grow the next generation of Asia-savvy business leaders.

Our internship programme helps interns build a better understanding of the people, place and culture of their Asian host country, while developing industry-specific skills that will benefit them as they progress in their careers.