Internship Description: During the one month internship I spent one week with four companies owned by the Maharaja Organization: ICL Marketing, Maharaja Television (MTV), S-Lon Lanka, and Tuffline. At each company I spent one to two days shadowing the company CEO, one day touring the company facilities including factory or studio visits, and the rest of the time completing projects. At ICL Marketing I assisted with the re-launch of O3, the country’s third most popular male deodorant, and wrote a packaging brief for A.F. Jones Tea -- the largest tea exporter to the US. At Maharaja Television I assisted with the creation of the country’s first morning show, conducting market research on successful western morning shows and submitting a report to the director of operations on some features they might want to consider during the creation of their own program.
Skills Learned: Throughout the internship my interpersonal and communication skills were developed. My co-workers spoke varying degrees of English with some speaking virtually no English. Overcoming language and cultural differences was a daily struggle, but one that taught me a lot and allowed me to grow.
Favorite Moment: This internship provided many memorable moments, but my personal favorite was touring The Voice Sri Lanka set and discussing the show with the executive producer.
Skills Learned: Throughout the internship my interpersonal and communication skills were developed. My co-workers spoke varying degrees of English with some speaking virtually no English. Overcoming language and cultural differences was a daily struggle, but one that taught me a lot and allowed me to grow.
Favorite Moment: This internship provided many memorable moments, but my personal favorite was touring The Voice Sri Lanka set and discussing the show with the executive producer.
Internship Description: My main projects at the State Department included managing the Integrated Country Strategy Feedback Process, analyzing past Inspector General Reports to prepare the office for an upcoming inspection, and assisting with several events.
Managing the Integrated Country Strategy Feedback Process entailed tracking ICS Reports submitted by embassies and consulates around the world and ensuring they were directed to the correct people in Washington for review. Once reviewed they were returned to me at which point, under very tight deadlines I was charged with inputting edits and combining the various reports.
In preparation for an upcoming Inspector General Review, I was also tasked with analyzing past inspector general reports in order to find trends of problems noticed in other public diplomacy offices by the OIG. This task had me assess 35 reports and develop a checklist of areas the OIG was most interested in. My final report was so well received I was asked to give a presentation on my findings at a public diplomacy leadership meeting.
Finally, I helped organize and run several events. This included a visit to the State Department from 40 international exchange students and a social media summit of members from all the public diplomacy offices.
Skills Learned: On this internship my analytical, writing and presentation skills were greatly improved. I submitted multiple reports and gave three 10-15 minute presentations. The aforementioned assignments also tested my ability to solve complex problems and complete projects with very little guidance or oversight.
Favorite Moment: My best memories at the State Department were the numerous networking events both with other State Department interns and with international exchange students.
Managing the Integrated Country Strategy Feedback Process entailed tracking ICS Reports submitted by embassies and consulates around the world and ensuring they were directed to the correct people in Washington for review. Once reviewed they were returned to me at which point, under very tight deadlines I was charged with inputting edits and combining the various reports.
In preparation for an upcoming Inspector General Review, I was also tasked with analyzing past inspector general reports in order to find trends of problems noticed in other public diplomacy offices by the OIG. This task had me assess 35 reports and develop a checklist of areas the OIG was most interested in. My final report was so well received I was asked to give a presentation on my findings at a public diplomacy leadership meeting.
Finally, I helped organize and run several events. This included a visit to the State Department from 40 international exchange students and a social media summit of members from all the public diplomacy offices.
Skills Learned: On this internship my analytical, writing and presentation skills were greatly improved. I submitted multiple reports and gave three 10-15 minute presentations. The aforementioned assignments also tested my ability to solve complex problems and complete projects with very little guidance or oversight.
Favorite Moment: My best memories at the State Department were the numerous networking events both with other State Department interns and with international exchange students.