Notes from the Field: Olivia Bewley '19

Olivia Bewley '19 interned at the United States Embassy in Rabat, Morocco in the Economics Section for the Winter 2018 term. The following is an excerpt from her internship report.

The Department of State uses embassies to further its own foreign policy goals abroad, but also to observe activities that other foreign missions are conducting. In addition, embassies house other agencies who work closely with those in the Foreign Service and have interests in the host nation. 

The work that I completed ranged from researching bilateral relationships between nations ahead of important meetings to attending conferences as a representative of the U.S. Mission to Morocco. I also wrote summaries of economic news from Morocco used to update our colleagues outside of the country, assisted a colleague with research for a report, and drafted a white paper given to the African Development Bank. My culminating experience in the office was writing a cable, which is the term used for an informative report sent to other embassies around the world, and to headquarters in Washington D.C. 

I plan to apply my new knowledge and experience to my coming internship in Jakarta, Indonesia at the U.S. Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is a bi-mission with the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. In addition, I believe this experience shaped my professional pursuits by demonstrating that the Foreign Service is a good fit for my skills and interests.

After my time in Morocco, I can confidentially apply for future fellowships and job opportunities knowing that I would enjoy working for our government overseas. The professional connections that I made through this internship will also provide me with useful resources, sources of advice, and potential mentors as I move forward in my career. I would like to thank the Rockefeller Center for supporting my unpaid internship through this grant. This grant allowed me to take advantage of the full range of opportunities available and to serve our country’s mission abroad. In particular, I thank the French family for their generous support to the Rockefeller Center and their contribution to my student experience through this grant.