Nereyda Yovana Ortiz Osejo | Internship Spotlight

Nereyda Yovana Ortiz Osejo, INTA Class of 2021

Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center, Dallas, TX (remotely)

1. Where and with whom did you do your internship?
   I did my internship at Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. I worked directly with Dr. Raymond Robertson. Due to the social and health restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic, I did my internship from home.
2. What were your primary responsibilities?
   My main responsibilities were to conduct research about the benefits from trade between Texas and Mexico in the manufacturing sector. I analyzed data from the US Census Bureau and also wrote a literature review.
3. Which of your previous classes or learning experiences were most useful to you during the internship?
   Quantitative Methods I and II helped me to analyze datasets in Stata, and other classes such as Economic Recovery in Latin America and Global Economy gave me the background to understand economic and trade concepts.
4. What were the highlights or most important learning opportunities from your internship experience?
   As I am pursuing an academic career, having a research-oriented internship was very valuable. I enjoyed reading and learning about the benefits and challenges in the Texas-Mexico trade relationship. I was able to apply this knowledge in both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Writing the literature review polished my ability to write and summarize relevant literature for a research topic. Collecting data and estimating regressions was very valuable as I discovered new sources of data, gathered and built datasets, applied my knowledge in statistical programs, and learned new strategies to analyze data.
5. Do you have any advice for first-year Bush School students who may be applying for an internship for this summer?
   First-year students will find that the Bush School is full of people willing to help and give good advice. Therefore, I encourage first-year students to share their internship interests with the Bush School faculty, personnel, and second-year students because they will find in them amazing guidance during the process of applying for an internship. Likewise, it is very important to acquire strong quantitative skills as they are very valuable in the internship recruitment process. The Bush School has an incredible faculty that will give you the quantitative and qualitative background needed to succeed in any internship program.