Colleen Goggin, INTA Class of 2025
Where and with whom did you do your internship?
I interned with the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) in the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. Within the Bureau, I worked with the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking.
What were your primary responsibilities?
My primary responsibility was creating evidence packets for the Department of Labor’s reports focusing on the worst forms of child labor and goods produced by child labor or forced labor. In addition to this responsibility, I created and edited fact sheets, one-pagers, and memos for Bureau personnel and the Deputy Undersecretary regarding the report’s findings. I was also tasked with gathering background information for office staff on visiting organizations, departments, and government officials.
Which of your previous classes or learning experiences were most useful to you during
the internship?
Global Economy, International Trade Policy, Environment and Development, Quantitative Methods, and the Writing for Medal of Excellence. Each of these courses provided the necessary skills to excel in my office. Having a foundation in economics, trade, development, research methods, and writing allowed me to immediately show my supervisors the tasks and assignment loads I could handle. In meetings where coworkers discussed next year’s supply chain research projects, I brought up articles and research assignments I worked on in class when suggesting possible topics. After suggesting ideas, I wrote up outlines for project proposals using the writing techniques taught by professors, which my supervisors praised. Another useful skill taught in every class is learning to disseminate large amounts of information from different sources in a short amount of time, which I used every day during my internship. I condensed hundreds of pages of information down to two-page fact sheets highlighting the main points. My ability to disseminate information and write up a clean, readable document without jargon had my supervisor continue to assign me tasks for other people in the office.
What were the highlights or most important learning opportunities from your internship
experience?
The biggest highlight was meeting the Prime Minister of Labor for Mauritius and the Ambassador of Mauritius to the United States. I spent a couple of days sitting in meetings with different Mauritian representatives and then had the culminating meeting with all of the representatives. It was very insightful to see a unique interaction between governments, as these representatives discussed their actions aimed at getting rid of forced labor and child labor. Then after the meetings were over, I would walk them down by myself to the exit and see them off. It felt surreal that I was casually walking with this group of foreign government officials as we joked around, suggested restaurants, and talked about the Olympics.
A big learning opportunity was understanding how different government agencies utilize each other’s strengths. I learned how different departments used each others’ resources, insights, and funding to introduce new perspectives and work on the same topic. I spent two weeks helping my supervisor prepare for a meeting with one agency to highlight how ILAB can provide information for their analysts. I never expected ILAB to do this or thought the other agency would ask for this type of help, so it was insightful to comprehend that agencies utilize the strengths of policy experts from around the government.
Do you have any advice for first-year Bush School students who may be applying for an internship for this summer?
Apply to internships that pique your interest, even if you do not have a specific background in that field. I had no background in labor rights, labor laws, or labor research. During my interviews, I talked about what is discussed in classes, research papers, and working with new information every day. I tied this into how I can perform in a research office and bring my perspective of development, trade, and environment. So, take the chance of applying for internships in fields you are on the fence about or not yet very knowledgeable about. You are already applying to numerous internships, so give it a shot!
Another big piece of advice is to ask the Career Center and your professors for help! Everyone working at the Bush School has unique careers and connections, so utilize this advantage. Go to office hours and appointments or ask a friend to introduce you to start building connections. You might even learn about career fields and organizations you didn’t know existed!
