NOTES FROM THE FIELD: FLORIDA HUFF '21

Florida Huff '21 interned at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation during the 2020 summer term. The following is an excerpt from her internship report.

This summer, I worked at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, which aims to foster development in emerging markets, promote U.S. national security priorities in key regions, and generate returns for U.S. taxpayers. My internship was specifically within the Office of External Affairs at DFC, which includes the public affairs, legislative affairs, and business development teams, although my work was mostly in public affairs. My responsibilities this summer included drafting press releases, memos, and fact sheets covering DFC’s initiatives, investment portfolio, and specific projects across the world. Another key responsibility of this internship was creating social media content, including drafting Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn posts and producing promotional videos. 

This internship was extremely valuable for my academic and professional pursuits in several ways. I was able to develop a better understanding of global development and what tools are most effective for promoting broad and inclusive economic development in regions that have traditionally lagged behind. This is a key focus of mine as a history modified with economics major with an interest in international development. Additionally, the most positive part of my internship, by far, was the project I completed independently. This involved designing a digital marketing campaign highlighting DFC’s sector and geographic priorities and initiatives. I drafted hundreds of social media posts, produced around 15 videos, and created approximately 40 graphics. Upon completing these tasks, I put together a calendar so that each of our 12 priorities could be featured once a month for the next year. I learned so many technical skills, including social media, video production, and graphic design, but I also learned skills that will be critical to any job I do in the future. These include time management, organization, and in general how to conceptualize and complete a longer-term projector marketing campaign on my own. 

In the summer, as I was interning remotely, I learned a lot about the best strategies to keep myself engaged and motivated in a virtual working environment. I learned that I needed to check in with coworkers, to switch my attention between different types of tasks to give my brain a break, and to balance working independently and working on a team. These are valuable lessons that apply to not only my professional life, but also to my academic and personal life. I also learned more about what a career in international development would look like and what types of jobs are available to me within the field. After my second term working at DFC, I am even more sure of my plans to build a career in international development. Finally, the full-time offer I accepted from DFC has most certainly changed my future career plans, since I will officially be continuing my work at DFC and within international development in a full-time role after graduation. 

The Rockefeller Internships Program has funding for Dartmouth undergraduate students to help defray the cost of living expenses associated with a full-time, unpaid, leave-term internships in the fields of public policy, public affairs, and social entrepreneurship.