Internship in Africa proves 'transformative' for graduate student

Her commitment to these causes has shaped her academic journey, inspiring her to explore how these critical issues intersect in today's world.

When she discovered a new internship program offered by the college, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and under the umbrella of the college's Ag Sciences Global unit, she knew it was the ideal opportunity to grow her understanding of these topics.

"I believed this internship would provide an incredible opportunity for conceptual learning and practical professional development," Chambliss said. "And I was right; the experience was truly transformative."

Kathleen Sexsmith, assistant professor of rural sociology and program coordinator, said the internship is designed to help students explore issues related to women in the domestic and international agricultural workforce.

She pointed to United Nations statistics showing that while women make up 43% of the global agricultural workforce, the percentage of farm landholders or owners who are women is much lower, at 20%. Lack of access to land is one example of the barriers female farmers face in growing their operations, feeling empowered in their communities and contributing to global food security.

"Through these immersive, hands-on internships, students will enhance their intercultural awareness, sensitivity and communication skills — crucial for effectively engaging with women and the increasingly diverse workforce in the U.S. agricultural sector," said Sexsmith, a faculty leader in the college's Gender Equity through Agricultural Research and Education initiative (GEARE).

Over the past summer, Chambliss was one of three students placed with partner organizations in the U.S. and abroad and assigned tasks that supported research, programming or evaluation activities. She spent her summer in Nairobi, Kenya, as an intern with Oxfam International, a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice.

Chambliss, of Wyncote, said she worked on the nonprofit's Together Against Poverty 2 project. Working closely with teams in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Ghana — where the TAP2 project is active — she provided administrative support, coordinated efforts across international teams and offered input on gender-responsive projects.

She also participated in project focused on the United Nations High-Level Political Forum. "Financing for a Zero-Hunger Agenda Beyond CAADP and Toward Agenda 2063" was a policy roundtable that brought together key stakeholders from the African Union Commission, the United Nations, various governments and civil society movements. Chambliss was involved in every part of the planning, from drafting the concept note to managing post-event communications.

"I was fortunate to be in the room for engaging discussion on the role of climate and development financing, as well as gender-responsive budgeting, in shaping agricultural frameworks for Africa," she said. "Hearing directly from high-level panelists and attendees on these critical issues was inspiring and reaffirmed my commitment to this work."

Additionally, her work involved gender-responsive budgeting within the TAP2 project. For Chambliss, working on this project was a natural extension of her interests in gender and rural development. "By ensuring that public resources are allocated in ways that consider the needs of women, we can help create a more just and equitable agricultural system," she said.

Chambliss plans to pursue a doctorate, after which she wants to devote her career to enacting positive change for women in agriculture. "I hope to work with a nonprofit on program research and development, particularly gender and agriculture," she said. "This internship provided me with practical experience in applying theoretical concepts to real-world projects, which will be invaluable as I advance in my career."

Her advice for students considering the internship program is to go for it, saying that it provides an incredible opportunity for conceptual learning and practical professional development. "It's a chance to dive into important global issues and gain hands-on experience addressing them," she said.

Other interns were placed with Pasa Sustainable Agriculture in Pennsylvania and Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research-International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C.

The internship program will run again in the summer of 2025, and recruitment will begin in the early spring semester.

Learn more about Gender Equity in Agriculture internships.