Intern Updates
October 2020
I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience working for the U.S. Grains Council this summer! Even though my internship was supposed to be at the USGC office in Washington, D.C., I was incredibly lucky to telework from Lincoln at the Nebraska Corn Growers Association office.
One of the aspects of this internship that was different from past years was that I was not embedded in a specific department at the USGC. Instead, I worked for many different people in different offices, such as the D.C. office, the Mexico office, and the Latin America office. I completed a variety of different projects for these offices, including a manual on anti-dumping and countervailing cases in Colombia and Peru, grain storage reports, trade education, translating infographics from English to Spanish, and compiling a database for ethanol and gasoline regulations in Latin American countries.
Another different aspect of this internship was that I worked part time for a longer number of weeks in Nebraska, as opposed to working full time for a shorter number of weeks in D.C. While this was not the original plan, it was easier for me to telework part time because it made the new information that I was learning easier to grasp and understand.
The knowledge that I gained in international trade from this internship was invaluable. Before starting this internship, I knew little about the economics of international trade, but now I have a comprehensive understanding of it. Additionally, my work on anti-dumping and countervailing cases in Latin America gave me a foundation of international trade law that I will be able to use when I attend Georgetown Law in the fall of 2021. Overall, I am extremely grateful for the flexibility of the U.S. Grains Council during these uncertain times, and my experience working for the USGC was immensely beneficial to my future career as a lawyer who plans on specializing in international trade law.
August 2020
I chose to intern for the USGC when I realized that I could combine my agricultural background, passion for international relations, and Spanish language skills to the career field of international trade. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed working for the U.S. Grains Council! Even though I was supposed to be working at their office in Washington, D.C. this summer, I have still been able to learn important information about international trade by teleworking from Lincoln, NE.
During this internship, I have worked on projects such as anti-dumping and countervailing cases in Colombia and Peru, grain storage reports, trade education, and translating infographics from English to Spanish. Additionally, I have Zoomed with a plethora of individuals who work in international trade to learn more about this career path. One of my favorite Zoom calls so far has been with USGC employees from Colombia and Panama. I was originally interested in setting up a call with them because I have an interest in Latin American trade policy, and they helped me further understand what their jobs entail.
My future career plans include attending Georgetown Law for the fall of 2021, and this internship has encouraged me to specialize in international trade law. The skills that I have learned from working at the USGC will definitely assist me when I begin taking international trade law classes, and the connections I’ve made through the USGC will be invaluable once I move to Washington, D.C.
