Faith VanVleet

Faith VanVleet interned with RFI in 2021 and graduated from Baylor University the following year. As a Slavic and East European Studies and International Studies major in the honors program, she thought interning at RFI would be a good way to complement her undergraduate studies. “I think the best part of interning at RFI was how the leadership took so much time to teach us about religious freedom, answer our questions, and seriously listen to what we had to say. Speaking with other interns at government offices, I don’t think I would have had that opportunity at other places in DC.”

During her internship, Faith worked on a project researching cultural issues in Poland. That proved to be good preparation for her acceptance into the University of Texas’ graduate program in Slavic studies. She was also awarded a Fulbright scholarship that allowed her to work as an English teacher at a university in Walbrzych, Poland where she currently lives.

Faith says that the things she learned about Poland while at RFI has made it easier for her to understand the new place that she is living in and relate to the people there. She also has the chance to experience the complexities of advancing religious freedom and how to weigh competing rights claims in an authentic context. “I have had many conversations with friends about religious freedom issues and what I learned at RFI helps me to be clearer about what is at stake and why religion is important.”