Interning at SIREUS- What's it like?

Published August 30th 2023, Text by Edith Malmberg, SIREUS

Bianca Ström and Oskar Svensson tell us about their internship experiences with SIREUS


Embarking on an internship is a pivotal moment in any student's life, marked by many opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to a professional environment. Oskar Svensson and Bianca Ström tell us about their experiences interning for SIREUS- a project fostering knowledge exchange between Sweden and the U.S. In this article, they will tell you about what they've learned as SIREUS interns, shedding light on the valuable insights, responsibilities, and impactful projects that they got to partake in during their time in Washington D.C.


Interview with Bianca Ström

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Tell us a little about yourself and why you applied for an internship at SIREUS!


​​​​​​​While pursuing a degree in Business Administration at Lund University, the idea of doing an internship abroad piqued my interest, as I have always been eager to pursue an international career within Business. Therefore, it felt like a natural next step for me to apply for an internship at SACC-USA, which is where I learned about its newly started project, SIREUS. 

What initially caught my interest in SIREUS was that it helped students, like myself, take part in knowledge exchange between Sweden and the U.S. Additionally, I was intrigued to do my internship at SIREUS because it was such a new project -- its 'start-up'-like nature means that you get to be a part of shaping the project. Having read about SIREUS' mission, I felt like it was the perfect next step for me, and I decided to apply for the role of Marketing Intern for the Spring 2023 season.

Briefly explain your internship title - what did you do as a Marketing intern?


​​​​​​​The role of a SIREUS Marketing Intern was a very dynamic one, and every day was different. As a Marketing Intern, I had the responsibility of updating and developing content for the SIREUS website and Social Media, as well as planning and executing events. Therefore, my role was not limited only to marketing efforts, it was also partly web development and event coordination. It was invaluable to be able to work with so many different tasks, and I developed so many new skills as an Intern at SIREUS!

What is the most valuable thing that you've learned during your internship?

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Time management was a valuable lesson for me at SIREUS. Within the team, there were always multiple ideas about how SIREUS could be improved and advanced, which was always exciting. However, this meant that I had to choose what to focus on and to allocate my time properly. 

However, I would argue that the most important thing I gained from my internship at SIREUS was the confidence to lead projects together with my team. Because SIREUS is a newly started initiative, we had the opportunity to execute our own ideas -- for example, together with my two colleagues at SIREUS, we planned SIREUS MEMBERS forum, an event where universities from all over the world gathered on the rooftop of the House of Sweden. It turned out to be a great success and was a valuable experience.
Presenting speaker Kelly E Perry with her gift at SIREUS Members ForumPresenting speaker Kelly E Perry with her gift at SIREUS Members Forum

Could you tell us the best thing about living in Washington DC?

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​​​​​​​While in DC, it is truly a delight to explore all of its monuments and museums, most of which are free! Additionally, I had the opportunity to visit a large number of embassies and learn about other cultures. My least favorite thing about living in DC was definitely the crazy summer weather!

Interview with Oskar Svensson

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Tell us a little about yourself and why you applied for an internship at SIREUS:


My name is Oskar and I'm originally from a small village outside of Stockholm. However, I'm also currently pursuing a bachelor's in business administration at Lund University and I'm doing this Internship as a part of my education. An interest in doing an internship has always been on my mind because I see interning as the best opportunity to use knowledge from university and apply it in the real business world. Another bonus is that you also get invaluable experiences combined with memories for life.

I became interested in SIREUS due to a multitude of reasons. First of all, it is a relatively new project and I saw a good opportunity to be a part of shaping the project and take a lot of my own initiatives. Furthermore, I have always been interested in the U.S., and having the opportunity to live in one of the U.S.'s most interesting cities and work closely with the Swedish embassy felt like the perfect fit for me and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


Briefly explain your internship- what are your responsibilities as an event intern?


As the Event Intern for SIREUS, I'm responsible for planning, organizing, and executing various events, physical but also virtual. This includes tasks such as booking venues, contacting sponsors, booking speakers, and being the driving person to make sure everything runs smoothly. In addition, I also get to work a lot with marketing and produce campaigns to attract attendees to the events. In summary, no day is like the other and I'll get to try out a lot of different tasks.



What have you learned during your internship so far?

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The most valuable thing I've learned so far, I would say is the ability to lead projects of my own. Even if we work a lot together in the SIREUS team we all have different roles and have a lot of responsibility to drive and lead our own projects. This has forced me to work on my problem-solving ability to come up with solutions and be effective in decision-making.  
SIREUS Interns fall 2023SIREUS Interns fall 2023


Could you tell us the best thing about living in Washington DC?


​​​​​​​My favorite thing about D.C. is that it's such a livable and vibrant city with a lot of events and happenings every day. Whatever interest you may have there is something here for everyone. This is also a very internship-rich city so you will meet people from every corner of the world and have the chance to learn from a lot of different cultures. And of course, you'll have all the historical places like the White House, the Capitol, the Washington Monument, and a lot of other classical spots which are a must-see for everyone visiting D.C.


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Text by Edith Malmberg
Marketing Intern Bianca Ström Marketing Intern Bianca Ström

About Bianca:

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Interned for SIREUS: January - July 2023

​​​​​​​Education: Bachelors degree in Business Administration at Lund University
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Age: 22
New friends!New friends!
Oskar SvenssonOskar Svensson

About Oskar:


​​​​​​​Interned for SIREUS: July 2023 - January 2024

Education: Bachelors degree in Business & Economics at Lund University

Age: 22


House of SwedenHouse of Sweden

More about the SIREUS Project


​​​​​​​SIREUS, a collaboration between The Swedish American Chambers of Commerce (SACC-USA) and 13 Swedish universities, focuses on knowledge exchange in innovation, science, and entrepreneurship, as well as talent mobility for students and researchers between Sweden and the U.S. The Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., and the Swedish Institute support the project through advice and contacts.   
Interns Louise and HannaInterns Louise and Hanna

Do you want to intern in Washington D.C?


Each semester, SIREUS offers internships within project management, events and marketing. Click the link below to view our current internship listings and take the chance to discover the capital city of America! 
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