World War II ravaged the European countryside, destroying many of the ties that bound nations together. The war touched lives in every corner of the world, far beyond the borders of Europe.

As a result, much prejudice and cultural misunderstanding, lay stagnant for many decades, creating invisible barriers between countries across the globe.

One student organization, Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (AIESEC), has been working since 1948 to make progress correcting these issues.

"It's an international organization that's in 90 different countries," said Alison Hershberger, the president of AIESEC's Seattle chapter. "It was created after WWII in Europe to make sure that kind of war never happened again. Our main purpose is international understanding."

AIESEC uses its web of hubs around the world to send students on paid internships or "traineeships" to countries all around the globe.

"We set up traineeships locally for international students by going out and making presentations to businesses about how this program can help them by bringing them very qualified international interns," Hershberger said. "After we get spots for the students, we put names in a database that every AIESEC group worldwide has access to so they can look for traineeships that they're interested in."

AIESEC Seattle has shown great success in procuring these traineeships.

"Right now we have two students working as interns at Price-Waterhouse," Hershberger said. "One is from Peru and one is from Slovakia."

Although any current student, regardless of major, who has six months or more left in his or her college career can apply for a traineeship, there are some prerequisites, both internationally and locally.

"Depending on where you're going, you might be required to take a language proficiency test," Hershberger said. "[The business] might fly you out for an interview or just interview you over the phone. AIESEC U.S. has no prerequisites except that you attend a local meeting about the country you're going to, and that you attend a meeting nationally over the phone. For AIESEC Seattle, you basically have to have shown that you participate in local AIESEC meetings before you go abroad."

Alumni of AIESEC Seattle believe that participating in a traineeship can help get students jobs not only internationally, but domestically as well.

"I went on a 12-month to Switzerland but it was extended to 18 months," Andrew Winners, a participant of the trainee program and an alum of AIESE Seattle said. "I worked for a chemical company in their sustainable agriculture department. I made the department's Web site, a database so they could keep track of their customers and another program to keep track of agriculture crossing borders. I got a really good job at a consulting firm after I got back, and I think AIESEC helped with that. It definitely put me apart from the rest of the applicants. The company won't go to all of the trouble of bringing somebody over from another continent if they're just going to have them make copies. It's a good way to circumvent starting on the ground floor."

AIESEC also greatly streamlines the process of working abroad and enables students to see the world when they otherwise couldn't.

"The good thing about it is that AIESEC takes care of all of the living arrangements before you get there," Winners said. "They picked me up at the airport, got me to my apartment and showed me how to get to work. There were also about 10-15 other trainees there so I went to parties and stuff with them until I met other people. Without [the program], I wouldn't have been able to go to Europe financially ... AIESEC makes it a lot easier to get a work visa."

Students can apply for a traineeship online at AIESEC Seattle's Web site. Even if students do not think that an overseas company will choose them as an intern, they may end up being surprised.

"I wasn't really expecting to go, but I had my resume posted anyways," Winners said. "I wasn't really expecting anything, but then I got a call from Switzerland and a month later there I was."

Reach reporter Camden Swita at features@thedaily.washington.edu.