Notes from the Field: Austin Boral '16

Student Intern: Austin Boral '16

Internship Organization:
The Clinton Foundation

How would you describe your employer in one paragraph? What’s the elevator pitch?
The mission of the Clinton Foundation is to strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. The Foundations focuses on five primary issue areas within the civic sphere: climate change, economic development, global health, health and wellness, and women and girls. With an emphasis on collaboration, the Foundation strives to convene businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals to craft and implement effective solutions to these global problems.

What are your specific responsibilities in the organization?
As an Executive Office Intern, I am responsible for supporting the Special Assistant and Personal Assistant to the President at his personal office in Harlem. My day-to-day responsibilities include policy research, various administrative tasks, and miscellaneous errands. Each week, I am tasked with crafting a political compilation of important news articles and midterm election updates relevant to President Clinton's interests. I also work closely with the Legacy Department, which deals primarily with research requests from the principals' offices and the multimedia team. Our briefings and memos are used to prepare for events, interviews, speeches, and meetings. The majority of these memos are collaborative, as each team member within our department takes on a different responsibility to achieve a common goal.

What is your favorite part of the internship so far?
The most rewarding part of the internship experience has been working with such incredible peers and staffers at the Clinton Foundation and the honor of meeting President Clinton himself!

What challenges have you faced so far?
One challenge has been juggling various responsibilities with different departments. Since I am working with both the Executive Office and Legacy Department, I report to two different supervisors for various projects and assignments. Thus far I have been able to effectively allocate my time and effort between both departments, however it remains important for me to have a strong sense of prioritization among the tasks and projects I am assigned.

Broadly speaking, what do you hope to achieve by the end of your internship?
By the end of my internship, I hope to build meaningful relationships with my coworkers and supervisors. The Clinton Foundation is an exciting workplace that attracts very talented and hardworking people. I've enjoyed learning from the experiences of both my peers and my supervisors, and I hope to continue to do so for the remainder of my time there.

Rockefeller Center-funded interns reflect on their experiences as part of our Notes from the Field series. The Rockefeller Center helps students find, fund, and prepare for a leave-term internship experience in public policy research, public policy analysis, issue evaluation, or activities which help shape and determine public policy.