Loretto at the UN: Students encounter the global stage

Loretto at the UN, established in 1991, and now in partnership with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, offers unique opportunities for students and recent college grads to experience the workings of the UN. Along the way, these young adults gain invaluable experience and explore potential careers. They interact with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and learn all about advocacy in action. Here we focus on college-age volunteers and interns. In our next Loretto Magazine issue, we’ll share high school students’ experiences. Happy 35th birthday, Loretto at the UN!

Setting the stage for future change

Since I began representing Loretto at the United Nations in December 2016, we’ve hosted more than two dozen interns/volunteers in our office at the Church Center of the UN. It’s an exciting experience to enter the UN and witness, support and participate in dialogues and discussions with diplomats and occasionally heads of state. Even though our office is very small, it is an excellent opportunity to dig into the work. Our ability to host delegations, programs and events is determined each year by how much people-power we can manifest. Volunteers and interns have helped expand our efforts over the years.

One of my greatest joys as Loretto’s UN representative is connecting with future generations by welcoming a few dozen students from Loretto-founded schools to the annual meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women each spring. (You’ll meet a few of the students in the next Loretto Magazine issue.)

Over the years, we’ve drawn interns from rural and urban areas seeking to enhance their academic foundations through real-world experiences. Our interns hone many skills and engage with a wide range of topics, from ending gender-based violence to the power of youth-led climate activism. They connect with other advocates of all ages, genders and cultures and engage in critical conversations, challenging norms and discovering their purpose. They leave not just as interns, but as experienced changemakers — ready to build the world they want to see.

Our 2025 intern Hannah Reyes, St. Mary’s Academy (Denver) alumna, shares, “One of the most meaningful parts of this experience was the chance to interact with ambassadors, delegates, NGOs and UN officials, seeing firsthand how governments, civil society and the private sector come together to tackle pressing issues.”

Emma Sandu, intern with Loretto at the UN in 2022, says she is grateful that she got to be part of Loretto through her internship, which she calls “an amazing experience.” She shares, “I was privileged to have a front row seat to the inner workings of civil society at the UN headquarters. It was incredibly empowering … to be in the UN and hear about the good things that are happening that you don’t usually hear about.”

Watch a short video about Loretto at the UN put together by interns.

Grace Broome, Loretto at the UN intern 2024-2026, says that the Loretto internship “definitely challenged me to step into unfamiliar spaces and navigate complex global conversations and grow both as a communicator and an advocate.” Grace heads to grad school at the University of Notre Dame this fall.

Hannah Reyes, 2024 St. Mary’s Academy alumna and Loretto at the UN intern in 2025, says she was educated by Loretto for 13 years, beginning in kindergarten, and credits the Loretto Community with giving her the confidence, global perspective and leadership skills to navigate spaces from student government to the United Nations. As a St. Mary’s sophomore, she was invited to sit on an international panel during the UN’s 62nd Commission on the Status of Women; the panel featured young women from around the world sharing personal connections to climate justice initiatives. Later, as an intern with Loretto at the UN, she worked toward expanding Loretto’s impact. She writes that her internship was “an incredible opportunity that deepened my commitment to global change. I’ve not only deepened my understanding of global advocacy but also had the chance to apply problem-solving, collaboration and creativity to advance meaningful change. … I learned so much about what advocacy looks like on the global stage.” Hannah affirms, “I’ll always carry with me the spirit of advocacy, collaboration and hope that defines Loretto at the UN.”

Read all of the articles in the summer 2026 issue of Loretto Magazine.