Notes from the Field: Faith Rotich ’18

Faith Rotich interned at the World Justice Project during the 2016 Summer Term. The following is a brief recap of her experience in her own words.

I think my internship at the World Justice Project this past summer was an excellent opportunity not only for my professional advancement, but also for my personal growth.  My role was centered around establishing the relationship between the rule of law and socio-economic development around the world. As a student interested in a career in economic development, I learned about the different ways in which lack of, or limited access to the rule of law impedes the improvement of standards of living and economic development in general.

In researching for potential contributors for our Qualified Respondent Questionnaires, I believe I improved my flexibility in handling tasks that required my inventive thinking. I learned a tremendous deal working on different projects which I found both engaging and challenging in a good way. As I wish to go into the field of economic development, I feel it is important for me to understand how the administration of the rule of law influences a country’s development. This internship has undoubtedly armed me with the knowledge required to grasp the complexities of this situation.

One of the most positive parts of my internship was that I always felt involved and engaged. Interns were invited to all the meetings that were related to the projects we were working on. Whenever we rose to speak or share a thought, our ideas and contributions were well taken and appreciated. My supervisor and other colleagues were easy to approach and talk to, and I believe that through them, I managed to expand my professional network.

I believe that through my internship, I learned to be more independent and to be better at decision-making. Most of my assignments were not time-bound. I therefore had some freedom to plan my time carefully to make sure that I submitted well done work at a reasonable time.

Last spring, I participated in Rockefeller Center’s Management and Leadership Development Program. Through this program, I learned about different personality types and how to use one’s strengths to communicate well in a work environment, aspects which came in handy while navigating the work environment in DC. I learnt to first take note of and understand the personality types of other people in my groups, so we could easier collaborate to work toward a common goal. I actively made use of the skills I gathered from our MLDP session on effective communication at the workplace, which included using simple, clear language, being concise, ensuring correctness, amongst other aspects.