Posted: October 8, 2015

I met many people working in Haiti and learned from everyone I worked with.

Field Visit

Field Visit

From June 2, 2014 to August 15, 2014 I was a summer intern with RTI International on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Local Enterprise and Value Chain Enhancement (LEVE) project in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As a student in the Community Environment and Development major with a minor in International Agriculture and many years of experience in Haiti, I was excited for the position of: Workforce Development Summer Intern. During the internship, learned a lot, gained many skills and developed future opportunities for my career.

I was eager to find an internship position in Haiti that would provide real life experience in the international development field. In the past, I had volunteered in Haiti every year since I was 15 years old and I spent two summers teaching English at an orphanage there. After my first time to Haiti I wanted to move there right away to do what I could to help. It was not until I witnessed an 18 year old girl give birth at a medical clinic that I decided to pursue an education first and I am thankful now that I did. I learned the language and found a program at PSU that I could apply to the kind of work I am passionate about.

For my internship, I wanted a position where I could use my skills in language, cultural understanding and knowledge of Haiti to help people while experiencing the work environment. Securing the position highly matched my interests and opened up a new avenue of possibilities for me.

My favorite part of my internship was going to meetings with stakeholders and doing field visits. During my position as intern I was not shy about asking to attend meetings or go on field visits to gain experience. There where many instances that I was able to accompany other employees to visit farmers, government officials and other NGOs. I met many people working in Haiti and learned from everyone I worked with. I was able to grow my networks and make connections.

I also learned about all the positions within the office. I asked questions and became friends with those working in the office. I made relationships that will last a long time. The staff helped me to learn about their positions in grant management, finances, and sector team leads. During my internship I completed many tasks to utilize my skills and education to help the project. The best part about being an intern is being able to get involved in everything.

I am now confident about working in a professional setting internationally. I understand how to act as a professional including everything from appropriate attire to communicating with authority and clients. As well as growing professionally, I made valuable connections with people that helped me learn. The skills I learned will help me in any career position I find myself in.

I was able to apply the theories learned in the classroom of international development to the real world experience that I had during my internship. I am also able to apply the experiences I had in the classroom as I continue to learn at PSU. I gained skills and grew personally. Overall the experience was exceptional.

Ag Sciences Global

Address

106 Agricultural Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802

Ag Sciences Global

Address

106 Agricultural Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802