Notes from the Field: Shanet Hinds ‘16

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.
  

Student Intern: Shanet Hinds '16

 Internship Organization: 
The National Women's Business Council (NWBC)

How would you describe your employer in one paragraph? What’s the elevator pitch?
The NWBC is a non-partisan federal advisory council that serves as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues pertaining to women business owners. The NWBC achieves this by conducting research on the challenges that women face in business and then making policy recommendation based on these findings.

What are your specific responsibilities in the organization?
My role is to assist the NWBC on all major projects. This includes their social media accounts, policy research, writing blog posts, helping to design a study on women of color in business, and a study on the portrayal of women in business in the media. I am also required to attend Congressional briefings that relate to women, business, and entrepreneurship. I was also able to design my own research project that relates to entrepreneurship. I decided to research young entrepreneurship and student loans, and how the two ideas relate.

How did you feel on the first day of your internship?
The first day of my internship I was extremely nervous and I wasn't sure what to expect. Everything worked out well because my supervisor planned for my first day to be an orientation day. I was given all the necessary information about the organization and a tour of the office. More importantly, during the day my supervisor and I had a one on one conversation about goals and expectations for the summer. This allowed me to feel more comfortable in my role and what I would be doing for the duration of my internship.

What is your favorite part of the internship so far?
The most rewarding part of my internship is the people that I have been able to meet. I have had the opportunity to meet, speak with, and learn from some of the most prominent women in the public and private sectors. The women I have met have been a wonderful source of inspiration and provided me with advice in planning out my future goals.

What challenges have you faced so far?
My biggest challenge was my first week when I didn't have full clearance to use the computers. It was extremely difficult to begin my projects because I needed to use the computer. I was able to overcome this challenge by using the office laptops that gave me minimal access for some of my research.

Broadly speaking, what do you hope to achieve by the end of your internship?
I hope to have completed my project on young entrepreneurship and student loans. I would like to be able to use the final document in my portfolio.

What have been some practical lessons you've learned in the day-to-day life of your internship?
Get lunch early (before noon) because there will be an extremely long line starting at noon and it will then take twice the amount of time just to get food.