I strongly believe that this 4-month period of internship will give me a lot of positive impacts on my research and my knowledge about the Arctic economy. I have been interested in how Arctic industry could effectively work together with Arctic indigenous people. In AEC, business representatives from eight Arctic states and six permanent indigenous organizations from Arctic Council are working together. In addition, AEC is also open for membership to businesses of all sizes from outside of the Arctic.

In only three weeks, I have already learned a lot about AEC work by writing articles, managing AEC website, doing administrative tasks and updating social media. The AEC Secretariat is not a big organization however it covers a wide variety of works. Since AEC superiors often go on a business trip for various meetings or conferences, AEC intern should be capable to work independently and support from the office. That could be a challenging work but I have taken up this challenge and I am very glad to be part of AEC.

At the same time, I am also working on my Master’s thesis related to AEC work. Although I am here for my internship and also writing my thesis, I would love to experience this beautiful city, Tromsø, also known as gateway to the Arctic. Luckily AEC Secretariat is located in the very center of Tromsø and this island city is fantastic. As one of the famous Arctic destinations for tourists, Northern lights with trees look very different from the ones I have seen in Nuuk, Greenland. I am very happy to be at AEC for 4 months and I very much look forward to this unique life above the Arctic Circle until December. I hope my internship could be a gateway to my career in the Arctic.