Despite the fact that Aida Fogel grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, she was familiar with USC Shoah Foundation from an early age. A family friend worked with the Institute to interview survivors in Venezuela, and two of Fogel’s great-aunts gave testimony. Though her grandmother didn’t give testimony, she was an Auschwitz survivor herself.

“I understood the importance of maintaining survivors’ legacies alive,” she said. “Because the subject is so close to my family and I grew up learning about it in school, I didn’t realize that so many weren’t aware of the atrocities that happened during the Holocaust.”

So, when Fogel decided to attend USC, she thought working with the Institute in some capacity would be a great experience and a chance to bring greater awareness to people.

“I was incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people willing to help and train me,” she said. “Everyone at the Shoah Foundation is passionate about their work, so it was very inspiring to see people who care so much and believe in what they do.”

The experience also allowed Fogel to learn more about her own family as she had never been able to watch her two great-aunts testimonies before coming to USC.

“The first time I watched my great-aunt Gisi’s testimony, it reinforced how remarkable she was — she overcame an unspeakable tragedy and managed to remain caring and generous,” she said. “I’m still amazed by the fact that so many survivors were able to overcome those horrific memories to build loving families like mine.”

In addition to this personal and historical knowledge, while interning at USC Shoah Foundation, Fogel also gained professional skills. As a Communications and Public Outreach Intern for the Institute from 2009-10, she managed a Google Adwords account as well as communicated to the Institute’s social media presence. Now she works as a Digital Strategist at Anomaly doing similar things.

But even though she no longer works in the nonprofit sector, Fogel said the things she learned at USC Shoah Foundation will stick with her.

“Seeing how so many people managed to overcome tragedy and keep their faith in humanity was deeply inspiring,” she said. “Their outlook on life shows that it’s possible to overcome even the toughest of circumstances, so I try to remember that and maintain a sense of perspective when things get tough.”