Hi all! I’m Rachel Carle, your publicity chair. Remember, you can be a part of the GDO summer blog, too—just send a post about your adventures or thoughts on development to [email protected]. We’d love hear from you!
It’s hard to believe that just one month from now we’ll be back at UVa. As my internship at the U.S. Department of State winds down, I’m looking for every opportunity to make it count.
If you’re in D.C. this summer, I definitely recommend exploring a few think tanks. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Brookings Institution, for example, host a lot of public events. You can listen to incredibly smart people, ask a question, chat with the fascinating (and possibly high-profile) person sitting next to you… and sometimes there’s even free food. You can’t ask for a better way to spend an afternoon.
Here's a close second. The phrase “informational interview” is awkward, but the idea is superb. It’s an opportunity to ask wise and interesting people about their passions, their work, and how they got where they are. I’ve found that it helps to have a solid, critical awareness of your interests (a subject, like security or gender? a geographic area? a specific step of the process—policy, implementation, monitoring and evaluation?). Then, ask around. Someone in your office will likely be willing and happy to put you in touch with a colleague in that field. Alternatively, reach out to UVa alumni. Nothing is more gratifying than signing an email “Wahoowa.” Check out LinkedIn, ask a favorite professor, or catch up with an old friend and recent grad—wahoos are everywhere. Worst case, I have flat-out looked through the online directory of a company I like, picked a person whose interests align with mine, and emailed them to meet up. People are wonderful and very willing to give their time.
In the shock of the century, working for the U.S. government is a lot different than learning in a liberal arts environment. It's fast-paced and action-packed. My number one piece of advice is to find the circles that stop and ask big, critical questions. Things like “what should the government’s role in international affairs be?” “How do we empower local people?” “Does America have it right?” “Is what we do making an impact?” “What impact do we want?” Those conversations take place. You just have to find them—and sometimes that requires you to ask the questions yourself. As an intern, I may not always give great answers at work, but maybe I can ask a good question.
Accepting an unpaid internship is hard, and not everyone is in a position to do so. But if you can swing it, a summer in D.C. can be a huge investment in your career. For better or worse, D.C. is one of the most prominent cities for development work, and the mentors you find here can really help you navigate the field. It’s also a huge perk to have some knowledge of D.C.’s many moving parts. I still have a lot to learn, but I've had an amazing time trying to figure it out.
GDO takes a day trip to Washington D.C. each fall. Join us to meet UVa alumni and tour some of the most important development entities in the city! Email [email protected] to get updates.
It’s hard to believe that just one month from now we’ll be back at UVa. As my internship at the U.S. Department of State winds down, I’m looking for every opportunity to make it count.
If you’re in D.C. this summer, I definitely recommend exploring a few think tanks. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Brookings Institution, for example, host a lot of public events. You can listen to incredibly smart people, ask a question, chat with the fascinating (and possibly high-profile) person sitting next to you… and sometimes there’s even free food. You can’t ask for a better way to spend an afternoon.
Here's a close second. The phrase “informational interview” is awkward, but the idea is superb. It’s an opportunity to ask wise and interesting people about their passions, their work, and how they got where they are. I’ve found that it helps to have a solid, critical awareness of your interests (a subject, like security or gender? a geographic area? a specific step of the process—policy, implementation, monitoring and evaluation?). Then, ask around. Someone in your office will likely be willing and happy to put you in touch with a colleague in that field. Alternatively, reach out to UVa alumni. Nothing is more gratifying than signing an email “Wahoowa.” Check out LinkedIn, ask a favorite professor, or catch up with an old friend and recent grad—wahoos are everywhere. Worst case, I have flat-out looked through the online directory of a company I like, picked a person whose interests align with mine, and emailed them to meet up. People are wonderful and very willing to give their time.
In the shock of the century, working for the U.S. government is a lot different than learning in a liberal arts environment. It's fast-paced and action-packed. My number one piece of advice is to find the circles that stop and ask big, critical questions. Things like “what should the government’s role in international affairs be?” “How do we empower local people?” “Does America have it right?” “Is what we do making an impact?” “What impact do we want?” Those conversations take place. You just have to find them—and sometimes that requires you to ask the questions yourself. As an intern, I may not always give great answers at work, but maybe I can ask a good question.
Accepting an unpaid internship is hard, and not everyone is in a position to do so. But if you can swing it, a summer in D.C. can be a huge investment in your career. For better or worse, D.C. is one of the most prominent cities for development work, and the mentors you find here can really help you navigate the field. It’s also a huge perk to have some knowledge of D.C.’s many moving parts. I still have a lot to learn, but I've had an amazing time trying to figure it out.
GDO takes a day trip to Washington D.C. each fall. Join us to meet UVa alumni and tour some of the most important development entities in the city! Email [email protected] to get updates.