
Kayleigh Hasson, Intern, Office of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Embassy of Spain
Major: Economics (B.S.), Criminology and Criminal Justice (B.A.)
Minor: Spanish
Class Year: 2022
What was a typical week like in your internship position?
I worked remotely 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. I would attend webinars, watch Congressional committee hearings, and generally keep up to date with current events in U.S./Spain agriculture and trade. I wrote reports summarizing meetings I attended and researched topics pertinent to my office's work, such as soy product sustainability labels, hemp production, and carbon markets.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
I enjoyed the breadth of topics I learned about in the position. The office's scope of work was quite broad, and I researched topics related to agriculture, trade, the environment, marketing, business, politics, international relations, environmental markets, and more.
How did your coursework help you in your internship?
My Economics coursework was especially helpful in providing background information about how markets operate and how international trade works; both of these topics came up frequently in my work for my internship.
How did you locate your internship position?
This is a partner internship with the Global Fellows Program at University of Maryland, which means that this office exclusively interviews and hires interns from the Fellows program. The Federal and Global Fellows staff were very helpful throughout the internship application and interview process, and they also provided support during the internship itself.
Advice for students:
University of Maryland has so many resources that help students secure an internship. I highly recommend the Federal Fellows Program and Global Fellows Program if you're interested in a D.C. internship. Their staff is highly qualified to review resumes, cover letters, and other application materials, and they constantly send out internship and job opportunities through their email list. Even if you're not in Federal or Global Fellows, the UMD Career Center, BSOS Feller Center, and departmental advisors have all been very helpful throughout my undergraduate career.
Anything else you want to share with students about your experience?
The Embassy of Spain typically hires two interns at a time, and it is a semester-long position, although in the past interns have been able to extend into the next term. You should be able to work well independently and on a team. You should be open to feedback and should take initiative on projects you're interested in.