North American Free Trade Agreement Treaty Signing – October 1992
Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, US President George H. W. Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney standing behind respective representatives Jaime Serra Puche, Carla Hills, and Michael Wilson
The Mosbacher Institute’s International Trade Internship Program enables Bush School students to access summer internships in some of the world’s most influential international trade work settings. Through this program, students will gain real-world experience and skills that will make them internationally competitive for future careers in trade policy. They will build their knowledge of key and complex aspects of the international trade system, such as formulation of trade rules; financing, regulatory, and enforcement mechanisms; negotiation and accession processes; and dispute resolution tools.
Another major goal of the program is to build the students’ skills in job search, financial management, and networking in the international context. With the support of the Institute, students will be expected to secure their internships, plan and oversee the disbursement of their internship funds, and deliver high-quality outputs from their internship experiences.
The internships take place in the summer months (usually mid-May through July or August) and are contingent upon students seeking and obtaining placement in a major trade-related organization, such as the:
- Economic Commission for Latin America & the Caribbean (ECLAC)
- International Labour Organization (ILO-USCA)
- International Trade Centre, Geneva (ITC)
- Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Organization of American States (OAS)
- Responsible Business Alliance (RBA)
- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- US Department of Commerce
- US Department of State
- US International Trade Commission (USITC)
- The World Bank
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
Each Mosbacher intern receives a travel grant of up to $10,000 to cover expenses (including travel) associated with his or her summer internship. Thus far, the Mosbacher Institute has offered support for two internships annually; however, it is the Institute’s intent to be able to expand the number of internship awards as more funding becomes available.
- Sampson Opok Atuahene, 2024, Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) – Accra
- Colleen Goggin, 2024, Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) in the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.
- Abhinab Shakya Pradhan, 2024, Secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Kathmandu, Nepal
- Nimesh Oli, 2023, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Javier Diaz Vazquez, 2023, Embassy of Mexico, Washington, DC
- Eddys Gonzalez Lopez, 2022, The World Bank
- Christopher Weech, 2022, US Embassy Quito, Ecuador
- Abdelrahman Taha, 2021, The World Bank, Washington, DC (remotely)
- Ana Mazmishvili, 2020, Center for Growth and Opportunity, Washington, DC (remotely)
- Nereyda Yovana Ortiz Osejo, 2020, Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center, Dallas, TX (remotely)
- Congyi Dai, 2019, Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MN
- Chase Blazek, 2019, US-ASEAN Business Council, Washington, DC
- Carolina Albuja Batallas, 2018, Organization of American States, Washington, DC
- Amanda Satterwhite, 2018, The World Bank, Washington, DC
- Rachel Paige Casey, 2017, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC
- Rebecca Skaff, 2017, USTR, Office of Textiles, Washington, DC
- Lauren Davis, 2016, USTR, Central and South Asian Affairs, Washington, DC
- Greg Klein, 2016, USTR, Western Hemisphere Office, Washington, DC
- Leah Crowder, 2015, US Commercial Service, US Embassy, Madrid, Spain
- Miguel Eusse, 2015, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC
- Camille Vega, 2014, International Trade Centre, Geneva, Switzerland
- Hugo Hernandez, 2014, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Washington, DC
Applicants to the program must be enrolled in their first year of study in the Master of Public Service and Administration or Master of International Affairs program at the Bush School, and they must maintain a final fall semester minimum grade point average of 3.0 and have no final course grade lower than a B. They also must have completed the First Year Career Seminar through the Bush School’s Office of Career and Student Services. Applicants with strong backgrounds and practical experience in economics, finance, statistics, and international economics and/or trade topics will have priority in the selection process.
The Mosbacher Institute International Trade Internship application form will be emailed to students each year and may also be requested by contacting the Mosbacher Institute. Applications for the summer internship funds are due to the Mosbacher Institute in the spring semester on a date that is announced to all Bush School students.
While our application is not due until the spring, the search for a summer internship should start in the fall. The Mosbacher Institute is willing to help by recommending organizations to target and facilitating connections. Some organizations allow us to recommend a few select students for placement in their summer internship programs. Note that being selected for one of these internships does not guarantee also being selected for funding.
The Office of Student Career Services is available to students to give feedback on drafts of internship applications, the internship search process, and funding procedures.
The Mosbacher Internship Advisory Committee reviews applications and ranks them based on the following criteria:
- Summer internship compliance with program criteria 30 Points
- Application form responses 20 points
- Short essay on a trade policy issue (3 pages) 20 points
- Academic standing in first-semester courses 15 points
- Recommendation from a Bush School faculty member 15 points
After the Mosbacher Internship Advisory Committee reviews the applications, it will inform successful applicants. It is important to note that the financial award is contingent upon the awardee taking an internship in a major trade-related organization approved by the Director of the Mosbacher Institute.
Financial management
Each Mosbacher Internship will grant a successful applicant a sum of $10,000 for an international trade internship or $7,500 for a domestic internship. The intern is responsible for wise and careful use of the grant funds. The intern will use this sum to cover round-trip airfare, rent, insurance, meals, local transportation, living expenses, and taxes. Internship travel grants may be considered taxable income and subject to tax withholding and reporting requirements. The travel grant is the total of the internship’s financial support; requests or claims in excess of this amount will not be honored. If the internship obtained is paid, the Mosbacher Institute will make up the difference between the amount received from the internship and the amount of the Mosbacher travel grant so that in total, the recipient receives the full amount of the travel grant.
Job search and networking
- Interested applicants should meet with Mosbacher Institute and Career Services staff to create a list of potential host institutions. The intern will then implement his/her search strategy, consulting as needed with Mosbacher Institute and Career Services staff.
- Most institutions have online application systems with varying deadlines and hiring timelines. If students have not heard back from a specific organization by the time the Mosbacher Trade Internship application is due, they are still encouraged to apply and to note the status of the application on which they are still waiting to hear.
- Interns are encouraged to keep a record of the professional contacts made during the search and internship.
Professional development
Upon completion of the internship, the recipient is responsible for delivering the following to the Mosbacher Institute:
- Immediately upon return, the intern will fill out a brief internship evaluation survey
- During the fall semester following the internship, the student will complete and present a post-internship PowerPoint presentation describing 1) the organization where the student interned, 2) his/her responsibilities and duties in the organization, 3) policy topic(s) researched and the analytical tools used, 4) a summary of the key findings and the policy implications of the project(s), and 5) the professional benefits received from participating in the project.
The Institute will spearhead the intern application and selection process, and provide the appropriate travel grant amount per internship to the intern. The Institute will share relevant contacts and information with students related to the application processes to the potential host institutions. While students are responsible for securing their internships, the Institute will backstop the search with information and guidance. The Institute will also share practical advice and knowledge relating to living and working abroad. In addition, the Mosbacher Institute will review the quality of Mosbacher Internships and their related outputs, providing the necessary monitoring to ensure the Program’s track record of successful internship experiences.
The Bush School, through the Office of Student Career Services, and the Mosbacher Institute will encourage potential host institutions to provide as stimulating a learning and professional environment as possible for the intern. One key feature of such an environment is an active internship supervisor who, as the main professional contact for the intern at the host institution, shall be accessible to the intern for guidance and assignment of tasks. The Mosbacher Institute also expects the host institution to provide some minor administrative support, especially at the beginning of the internship period, to ensure that the intern has an appropriate workstation and the necessary local knowledge to function well in his/her role at the institution.
Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy
The Bush School of Government and Public Service
Texas A&M University
4220 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4220
Phone (979) 845-1532
bushschoolmosbacher@tamu.edu
