Dialogue and Connection: Reflections from 10 Weeks at the Ikeda Center
For the third year, the Ikeda Center participated as a partner in Harvard’s Mindich Service Fellowship program, which provides Harvard undergraduates a chance to join local public service organizations for summer internships. In 2026, our summer intern was Becca Faber, a rising junior from New Mexico. During her 10 weeks at the Center, Becca supported our various programs, created social media content to promote events, produced podcast episodes on dialogue and purpose, presented at Dialogue Nights, and contributed to the Center’s work in so many ways. At the conclusion of her internship, we asked her to share her reflections, which you can read below.
Becca Faber: Dialogue and Connection: Reflections from 10 Weeks at the Ikeda Center
I have always been interested in diplomacy and education as ways to foster peace, global change, and understanding across perspectives and cultures. Dialogue and discourse have always been critical in my view of global peace as ways to reach agreements and resolve conflicts, serving as tools to measurable outcomes. Throughout my summer interning at the Ikeda Center, I’ve come to further appreciate dialogue as an individual process and practice that the world desperately needs spaces for.
The Ikeda Center is an organization that truly practices what it preaches. Dialogue is not just in name but in action during every meeting, check in, icebreaker, and Center activity. Every staff member brings an open mind to discussions and everyone’s perspective is valued. As a temporary staff member, I still felt comfortable sharing my thoughts and my suggestions were always met with legitimate consideration. Decisions are always made with everyone in mind, creating an environment that truly feels inclusive to all.
It’s this dedication to dialogue that makes the Ikeda Center such an incredible place for all who visit. During my internship, the Center hosted one of its Dialogue Nights Lite events. Of the 60 college students and young professionals who attended, more than half were visiting the center for the first time. I was moved by the takeaways that participants shared and touched by their desire to engage in dialogue even after the event had ended. Their conversations spanned backgrounds and complex topics, but fostered connections and laughs regardless. I knew these kinds of ties were only possible through the open and welcoming atmosphere Center staff had so thoughtfully created. I was able to see the transformative nature of dialogue firsthand and the role staff had played in facilitating these conversations to happen naturally.
Founder Daisaku Ikeda saw these kinds of exchanges as one of the most powerful tools for social change and, after 10 weeks at the center, I couldn’t agree more. True dialogue, I’ve come to learn, requires dedication and discipline that can only be learned through experience and practice. However, in a time so divided, we’ve lost spaces for this discourse to happen. That’s why the kind of dialogue that occurs at the Ikeda Center, dialogue that fosters mutual understanding and respect, is needed now more than ever. The Center’s mission is so important in this current moment and I’m grateful to have seen, experienced, and supported its efforts firsthand.
My placement with the Ikeda Center has felt like a natural fit from the beginning. It provided the space for me to explore projects I had genuine interest in but also contribute to the work of the center. Throughout my time here, I’ve worked on event planning and outreach, social media content creation, a survey research project, and two podcast episodes, to name a few highlights! Throughout these projects, I have felt a deep satisfaction in the fact that my work was contributing to a mission that I care deeply about: fostering communication and peace.
It’s this contribution to work with impact that I’ve come to cherish during my time here. One particularly illuminating experience was the creation of a podcast episode about the role of inner dialogue and finding purpose, a struggle that I’ve had throughout college. Before coming to the Center, I had a strong interest in pursuing a career in public service and having a profound connection to my work, but struggled with a clear idea of what this could look like in practice. From my one-on-ones with staff in the first week of my internship to the interviews I completed for the podcast, I’ve come to see how work like that of the Ikeda Center satisfies the conception of purpose I had so struggled to understand. As I spoke with staff about their journey to the center and to their purpose, I wonder if they knew their voices are ones I hope to emulate in the future. As I continue on my own personal and professional journey, I will always value this summer of working in such a close and mission driven organization.
Just steps from Harvard’s campus, I’m sure I have unknowingly walked past the Ikeda Center many times. From now on, I know that when I do pass by, I’ll either be eagerly attending a Center event (Can’t wait for Dialogue Nights!) or be reminded of my transformative summer. Thank you to all the staff who supported me and made my internship experience incredible!