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My name is Tanner Piscatelli, and I’m from Bozrah, Connecticut, USA. I’m currently studying at Boston University, majoring in International Relations and minoring in Business Administration. I had the opportunity to serve as the Communications Intern for CHS Alliance over the past three months as a part of the Boston University study abroad program.

What was a new, exciting adventure turned into one of the best experiences of my professional career.

Tanner Piscatelli on at Teams call with supervisor Sarah Baldwin

As the communications intern, part of my day-to-day responsibilities included writing blog posts and case studies, creating LinkedIn content, providing information on the candidates for the Board election, coordinating with other departments, and helping colleagues with their tasks. The communications role sits at the intersection of everything, which meant I was constantly learning about different teams, projects, and priorities. It pushed me to become more adaptable and detail oriented.

6 things that I learnt while being here

1. The humanitarian sector is vast.

The CHS Alliance alone deals with 300+ humanitarian organizations, along with international governments and UN departments. Being exposed to this network helped me understand the scale of global humanitarian efforts and how interconnected everything is.

2. The humanitarian sector is also very resilient.

People in it are dedicated to helping others no matter what obstacles come their way. The past 18 months has been incredibly challenging, but colleagues are deeply committed to helping others. There’s a shared determination that drives this sector forward. It gave me a new level of respect for the individuals behind the work.

3. Communications is one of the most central functions in any organisation.

Strong communication builds trust, credibility, and transparency, which are especially important in the humanitarian sector where accountability and public confidence are key. The position deals with everyone within the organization and helping translate the work of different teams into messages means understanding a little of everyone’s specialty, which makes it a particularly interesting role.

CHS Alliance staff thank Tanner and fellow intern Crystal for their work at the Alliance

4. Local organisations are at the heart of the sector

Working with the CHS Alliance has shown me that it is often the smaller, local and national NGOs who are guiding responses at the frontline, who now make up over 50% of the membership. I learned a lot about the need to shift power within the sector.

5. The sector is constantly evolving 

From political shifts, to the changing climate and tech – the sector is continuously having to evolve and adapt. It’s been particularly interesting to see how organizations are re-evaluating their use of AI to complement their work while keeping it human-centred.

6. The diversity of people and places

One of the biggest perks of studying abroad in Europe is how accessible everything is. Within just a few hours, you can find yourself in a completely different country with its own language, culture, and atmosphere.  Traveling to cities like Budapest, Barcelona, Naples, and Montreux showed me that no two places are alike. Each destination had its own personality, atmosphere and people.

My semester in Europe has truly been one of the most memorable and meaningful chapters of my life so far. I’m very grateful to CHS Alliance and BU for the opportunity to intern in an international city like Geneva. I’m sad to leave the beautiful city and amazing people (and cheese!), but I’m very excited to carry what I’ve learned here into the next chapter of my life.

Sarah Baldwin, Communications Consultant who supervised Tanner during his internship, says, ” Tanner was a real asset to the team – enthusiastic, hard-working and with a willingness to get stuck in and learn about all aspects of comms and the humanitarian system.

“He was invaluable during some busy times within the Alliance and I am sure he will do well in his career.  It was a pleasure to work with Boston University through this programme, and to meet some of the up and comers in the sector. Thank you for all your work. Safe travels back home and stay in touch”.