SCHOOL OF GLOBAL POLICY AND STRATEGYGLOBE TREKKERS
Summer 2022

Zach Belgum, MIA ‘23

MITSUBISHI RESEARCH INSTITUTE, TOKYO, JAPAN“Within the Mitsubishi Research Institute, a consulting think tank, I was part of the
Global Business Division, which oversees the company’s two overseas offices. On a
day-to-day basis, I conducted research on Japanese investments in recent startups
in Southeast Asia, attended various meetings and met new colleagues and student
interns. In addition, I analyzed impact investment trends in the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), pondering the linkage between startups and social
investing. At the end of my internship, I got the opportunity to present my research to
my entire team, advising the Mitsubishi Research Institute and Japanese companies
on how they should approach future impact investment in Southeast Asia. This
internship has shown me that Japanese companies have extensive networks, takegood care of their employees and work very hard.”

Katrina Boyd, MPP ’23

SAN DIEGO REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (SDRCC),SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA“I interned with the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, an advocacy
organization representing more than 2,500 members and approximately 300,000
jobs. As a public policy intern, I researched regional issues impacting the business
community in the following areas: sustainability and industry, climate action, small
business and economic development. This involved drafting policy committee briefs,
reviewing city and county agendas, preparing talking points and speaking at public
meetings. I also tracked key economic indicators and leveraged my quantitativeskills to create simple but compelling data visualizations. This internship gave mea firsthand look at how the business community directly engages on critical policy
issues to promote sustainable economic growth in the region.”

Brandon Callegari, MIA ’23

UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR),KIGALI, RWANDA“I interned with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in their
Kigali branch office this summer, working within the Development and Livelihoods
Unit. My roles included researching the impacts of livelihood programs for refugees
living in refugee camps throughout Rwanda, as well as performing data analysis on
incoming livelihoods, economic inclusion, self-reliance, energy and related data. My
day-to-day work involved creating briefings and reports based on the quantitative
results that I found, which were used to assess current UNHCR operations in the field
and update these operations. I spent much of my summer working on a longer-term
project to create a new standardized self-reliance index, based on quantifiable socioeconomic indicators, for use in each of the refugee camps in Rwanda and possibly inother camps regionally. Working at the UNHCR this summer gave me an immensely
valuable perspective on how international organizations not only work alongside thepublic and private sector to support refugees but also how these organizations are
evolving to handle increasingly protracted refugee crises.”Ernesto Castañeda, MIA ’23

EMZINGO|U, MADRID, SPAIN; HUMANIZING DEPORTATION PROJECT,UC DAVIS“As part of my internship with Emzingo, which connects students with startups aligned withsocial impact principles, I chose to work with the nonprofit organization Puentes Global,
a foundation whose mission is to promote employability. My team worked with Ukrainian
refugees arriving in Madrid, delivering welcome packets containing information ranging
from where to apply for insurance, find employment, enroll children into schools and more.
Additionally, we connected various like-minded organizations and individuals with Puentes
Global so that Ukrainians in Madrid could access online skills building that can be transferredworldwide and increase their employability.
Along with my internship in Madrid, I had the opportunity to intern with the Humanizing
Deportation Project, a community-based digital storytelling project documenting the humanconsequences of contemporary regimes of migration and border control in the U.S. andMexico. My role consisted of going to different albergues (shelters) in Tijuana, recording audio
from migrants who wanted to share their stories, and converting that footage into videos.
This project holds a special place in my heart since I immigrated to California from Tijuana
at 6 years old; it not only showed me a different side to my hometown that I never knew but
also opened my eyes to what many migrants go through in their journey to enter the U.S. The
stories we heard were heartbreaking and difficult to hear but are essential to share with theworld.”

Isman Cyair, BA/MIA ’23
EMZINGO|U, MADRID, SPAIN“This summer I interned with Emzingo|U in Madrid, where I was placed in a groupto help small social impact organizations. From the list of projects, I chose Puentes
Global, an organization that aims to help immigrants and refugees in a new country.
Our team worked as consultants to help Puentes Global assist Ukrainian refugees
in Madrid. We interviewed Ukrainians and implemented lessons learned at GPS to
do market research, built new relationships and created a welcome packet guide for
Ukrainians arriving in Madrid. Meanwhile, we got to travel and have awesome fun,and I’m truly grateful to GPS for providing me with this fantastic experience!“

Emily Davalos, BA/MIA ’23
EMZINGO|U, MADRID, SPAIN“This summer I interned for Emzingo, a certified B corporation centered aroundsocial impact across the globe. I worked with a team of two other master’s students
consulting for Deleitewear, a women-owned sustainable fashion company looking
to expand their business. Daily tasks included legal and financial research imperative
to understanding business expansion in Spain, meeting with our field partner toreassess and reframe our project and conducting interviews with stakeholders tounderstand the potential long-term impacts of this expansion project. Along with ourdaily work, we also explored the beautiful city of Madrid and learned a lot about dayto-day life, food and customs. This internship experience abroad allowed me to better
understand a culture different from my own and build many strong relationships withpeople from all over the world.”

Delana Du, MPP ’23

SAN DIEGO COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION,SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA“As a policy analyst intern at the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, my
responsibility was to research the housing market. The primary question I focusedon was what is driving housing supply – in other words, what is driving the lack ofaffordable housing? To answer these questions, I looked into county databases andexamined governance factors that could have a potential impact on housing supply
and affordability. The research skills and knowledge I gained from my first year at
GPS were essential to me during my internship.”

Shivangi Gupta, MIA ‘23

KPMG IN INDIA“This summer, I worked with KPMG in India, an organization mainly dealing with tax
and audit consulting, as a trainee in Human Resources. My work focused on equity,
diversity and inclusion (EDI) in that I was tasked with reassessing their women’s
employee resource group, KPMG’s Network of Women (KNOW). KNOW connects
women from all levels in the organization and simultaneously contributes to wider
EDI goals. I was able to learn and refine a broad range of skill sets during thissummer, including conducting interviews, developing critical thinking and problemsolving skills and producing recommendations.”

Clayton Haglund, MPP ‘23

INTERTRIBAL COURT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, VALLEY CENTER,CALIFORNIA“I interned at the Intertribal Court of Southern California, located on Rincon Bandof Luiseño land and serving 19 Southern California tribes. I helped to put together adata-driven snapshot of the health of the Southern California Native community tohelp the court better cater their efforts to the areas most in need. This has meant
searching for data from various sources and conducting empirical analysis wherever
possible. This hands-on experience has been invaluable, as I have learned a ton about
U.S. and Native American law and furthered my knowledge of data analysis tools.”

Sophie Hargrave, MIA ’23

CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ENERGY, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA“The Center for Community Energy is a nonprofit based in San Diego County that
conducts research and promotes sustainable solutions to counteract climate change.
My main task as a public policy intern was to conduct community outreach to tenant
advocacy organizations, contractors and management companies to identify how thecounty could incentivize the switch from gas water heaters to all-electric heat pumpunits in apartment complexes. I also connected with the San Diego Tenants Unionand helped to organize an in-person meeting with tenants to gather community input
as to how the county can properly incentivize this sustainable transition. The mainthing I have learned from this internship is that energy policy affects many parties:
homeowners, landlords, managers, maintenance workers, contractors, electricians,
plumbers, tenants and more. However, through meaningful conversations with
impacted parties, we can better inform the county of what is needed to create
successful policies.”

Jared Hernandez, MIA ‘23

EMZINGO|U, MADRID, SPAIN; HUMANIZING DEPORTATION PROJECT,UC DAVIS“As part of my internship with Emzingo|U, which connects students with startups alignedwith social impact principles, I chose to work with Deleitewear, which focuses on alleviating
the impact of fast fashion by making garments out of recycled textiles, thereby reducing
waste. My work included meeting with industry experts and researching Spanish law. Our
team also analyzed Madrid’s value chain and sustainable fashion market to give our client
recommendations. Because of this internship, I now have hands-on experience consulting,made friends from all over the world and explored Spain during my downtime.
In addition to my consulting internship, I interned with UC Davis’ Humanizing Deportation
Project, completing fieldwork, research and video production. This digital storytelling project
documents contemporary issues of migration and deportation in the U.S. and Mexico, so I
went to various shelters in Tijuana, gave food to migrants, recorded audio from migrants whowanted to share their stories, and converted that footage into videos. The stories I heard wereintense and they helped me learn more about the struggles people go through to ensure thesafety of their families. “

Yixiao (Adam) Huang, MCEPA ’23
EMZINGO|U, MADRID, SPAIN“As a member of the consulting group established by Emzingo|U, I joined students
from other universities to design a business plan for Clevergy, a startup company
focused on operating a platform intended to help people optimize their energy
consumption. Not only did we scrutinize the room for opportunity in cutting costs
for Spanish customers, which contributed greatly to the product positioning for thecompany, but we researched how to navigate through the current crises, such as
the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, in alignment with Environmental,
Social and Governance (ESG) goals for Spain as well. In the course of more than amonth’s research, our team provided the company with a comprehensive framework
containing all the contents of traditional business solutions and electricity market
research and prediction, in the hope that this nonprofit would gradually have apositive social impact in Spain.”

John Kim, MIA ’23

CALIFORNIA 39TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OFFICE, PLACENTIA,CALIFORNIA“As a member of the consulting group established by Emzingo|U, I joined students
from other universities to design a business plan for Clevergy, a startup company
focused on operating a platform intended to help people optimize their energy
consumption. Not only did we scrutinize the room for opportunity in cutting costs
for Spanish customers, which contributed greatly to the product positioning for thecompany, but we researched how to navigate through the current crises, such as
the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, in alignment with Environmental,
Social and Governance (ESG) goals for Spain as well. In the course of more than amonth’s research, our team provided the company with a comprehensive framework
containing all the contents of traditional business solutions and electricity market
research and prediction, in the hope that this nonprofit would gradually have apositive social impact in Spain.”Anna Kraemer, MIA ‘23

CENTER FOR ASIA PACIFIC STRATEGY (CAPS)“At CAPS, a nonprofit think tank focused on international security in the Asia
Pacific region, I had two main projects: the maritime security series and the China
Insights series. The maritime security series had concluded, and I wrote policy
recommendations and a final report based on the panel discussions. I was also incharge of planning the China Insights series, which will consist of two online panel
discussions and one in-person conference in late 2023. This internship has given me
the experience necessary to pursue a career focused on development and security
in the Asia Pacific region. I’ve gained specialized knowledge on maritime security, an
aspect of national security I’ve never previously learned about, as well as nuancesof the effects of Chinese foreign policy. I’ve also made connections with national
security experts and been able to listen in on panel discussions where these experts
outline their unique view on foreign policy. I’m very excited for my future career, and
CAPS has given me an amazing first step into my vision.“

Ezra Kraus, MIA ’23

COAST2COAST, LOBITOS, PERU

“As a passionate environmentalist with interests in ocean conservation and Latin
America, I connected with Coast2Coast in Lobitos, Peru — a nonprofit using
audiovisual tools, education and storytelling to empower at-risk youth living in fishingvillages across Peru and Southeast Asia — for my summer internship. I chose toaccept this internship because of the grassroots impact that their work achieves, togain skills in nonprofit management and to work in a Spanish-speaking environment.
My main task for C2C was to develop a volunteer program to bring students fromaround the world to the shores of Peru. I worked in a small group with the founders
and other interns from Peru to build partnerships with universities and volunteer
organizations, as well as build the infrastructure for the program, including tracking
applications, creating policies, developing marketing schemes, posting to job boards,
creating content and completing research. Overall, it’s been an extremely rewarding
experience to start their volunteer program from the ground up; I gained vital skills in
nonprofit business management.”

Jaha McClean, MIA ’23

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, BUREAU OF OCEANS, INTERNATIONAL,ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS (OES), OFFICE OF SCIENCEAND TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION (STC)“The Office of Science and Technology Cooperation (STC) is a science and technology
policy office within the Department of State that negotiates science and technology
agreements with other countries, coordinates joint training and expert exchanges
between the U.S. and other countries and implements international components ofcertain science and tech-related executive orders and bills. During my internship, I
have worked on the implementation of a science and tech-related executive orderand drafted some of the talking points that will be delivered to our intentionalcounterparts, along with crafting a report that will be distributed to our embassies
and consulates across the world. I also utilized my Japanese language abilities
to translate a Japanese document related to updates on one of their science andtechnology policies, attended meetings with the OES bureau head and attended
town halls with high-ranking officials within the Department of State. I have learnedso much about foreign affairs, diplomacy, negotiations, science and technology policy
and the latest innovations through this internship.”David Mendoza, MIA ‘23

REFUGEE SUPPORT EUROPE, NICOSIA, CYPRUS“My post was at the Refugee Dignity Center in Nicosia, Cyprus’ capital city, which
serves thousands of refugees who have recently left the Pournara camp. I was tasked
with registering refugees into the organization as their first point of contact, as wellas assisting in managing the database system and logistics. These tasks involved
organizing the logistics of the center market supply to ensure stable inventory forrefugees and guiding them in labor card application processes in accordance with the
Cypriot government. This opportunity has been life-changing, as I have been directly
involved in alleviating the refugee crisis in Cyprus and saw how policy and refugee
politics affect the situation on the ground. I hope to use this experience in my pursuitof a career in diplomacy and foreign policy.”

Ashley Morrison, MPP ’23

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE, EL CAJON, CALIFORNIA“My internship with the International Rescue Committee focused on their Womenin Business initiative. In this role, I assisted program directors tasked with managing
clients’ progress at various points of the business development process andnavigating the obstacles often specific to the migrant/refugee experience. My duties
included the creation of outreach material for the department’s various trainings andworkshops, recording clients’ progress and assisting clients in the completion of small
business grant applications. I was also able to assist in some event planning throughthe IRC’s Fair@44th International market, which serves as a platform to highlight andheighten the awareness of client businesses. With this internship, I have furthered
my knowledge of the day-to-day functions of a large nonprofit organization, balancedwith the independence of working on a smaller team. Most importantly, I deepened
my understanding of the continued challenges faced by refugee women as they work
diligently to build their futures.”Hana Moumen, MPP ’23

NATIONAL DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION“The National Defense Industrial Association drives strategic dialogue in national
security by identifying key issues and leveraging the knowledge and experience ofits military, government, industry and academic members to address them. As a
researcher, I contributed quantitative research on high-profile cases pertaining toeconomic inflation and U.S. national defense, working in collaboration with former
U.S. Secretary of Defense David Norquist. I led research on industry trends, policy
points and the annual Vital Signs report about the health and readiness of the U.S
military industrial base, focusing on strategic performance, data analysis, surveys,
policy white papers and policymakers engagement. My articles on geospatialintelligence and military technology will soon be published in National Defense
Magazine. This internship gave me the opportunity to develop my expertise inmilitary strategy, use my data skills to produce high-quality research and suggest
effective, real-world policy recommendations, strengthening my interest intechnology and security issues.“

Lesley Nogueda Pulido, MIA ’23
EMZINGO|U, MADRID, SPAIN“During my Emzingo internship, I had the honor of working with DoGood, atechnology company that has created an app and platform for businesses to assign
Environmental, Social, or Governance (ESG) challenges to their employees and track
the results. Each challenge corresponds to a specific aspect of ESG engagement, ismeasurable and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our teamcreated a tool we named DoGood Sustainable Maturity Assessment (DSMA). It wasa great professional experience to share ideas and create a tool the DoGood staff,
including the CEO, liked. When I wasn’t in meetings with my team, Emzingo planned
many lessons for us, which covered a variety of subjects that would ultimately assist
us in some way with our project or with tasks we would undertake in the future as
professionals. Emzingo’s staff also organized events that encouraged us to interact
with the other members of the program, like scavenger hunts around the city, guided
tours, workout sessions, food tasting and more. My time in Madrid is something that
I won’t forget because of the great memories I made.”

Joey Persico, MIA ’23

CLAYHANDS, BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA“I spent eight weeks based in Bogotá, Colombia, working for Clayhands, a nonprofit
organization that aims to spread self-sufficiency through earth-building skills in rural Colombia
and South America. The first part of my internship consisted of learning how nonprofits in
Colombia work. Unlike in the U.S., setting up a nonprofit in Colombia is an expensive andcomplicated process, so I became familiar with the bureaucratic steps that need to be taken
annually to keep the organization operational. After becoming familiar with how a nonprofit isrun, I helped with logistics and planning for different projects in Colombia. While most of mywork was based in Bogotá, I had the opportunity to travel to one of Clayhands’ project sites
in the town of San Pablo de Borbur. While there, I attended meetings with the mayor of thetown as well as several of the stakeholders in the project. We also visited the actual project site,where I learned about the process of making adobe bricks. After returning to Bogotá, I createda short video about the Clayhands organization and the project in Borbur. During my internship,
I learned much more than I could have imagined, made great friends and immersed myself in adifferent, exciting culture. I will definitely be going back to Colombia in the future!“Manuel Reyes, BA/MIA ’23

SAN DIEGO REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE;AFGHAN EVAC COALITION, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA“As an external affairs intern for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, I was apart of several meetings with different government officials in the city, county, state andsometimes federal levels to ensure that we were advocating for policies that aligned with ourmembers’ values and benefiting the working class of San Diego. I focused primarily on land
use and transportation policy helping address the housing crisis San Diego is experiencing andworking hard to ensure more affordable housing was available for the working class, retirees,
veterans, minorities and recent college graduates. I worked closely with many different localorganizations, businesses, and government offices to promote the chamber’s mission to make
San Diego the best place to work and live.
As an intern for the Afghan Evac Coalition, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring
together organizations with a shared commitment to fulfilling the U.S.’ duty to our at-risk
Afghan allies and friends, I had the opportunity to take part in many of the meetings we
had with our partners in the government, such as the Department of State, Department ofHomeland Security, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and the WhiteHouse National Security Council. I was even a part of a productive meeting the coalition had
with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, where he promised to help us achieve our goals
in our mission to save Afghan lives. Working with Afghan Evac has been a great opportunity
to see the good work that can be done when humanitarian nonprofits, government agencies,
private sector companies and everyday civilians collaborate to help our Afghan allies.“

Maykent Salazar, MIA ’23
EMZINGO|U, MADRID, SPAIN“For my project through Emzingo, I worked with CleanUp Bio, a female-led, zerowaste retail business that sought to expand operations in Spain. Our main roleas consultants was to determine our client’s target market profile and generate asales strategy that aligned with the company’s mission and values. To meet ourobjective, Emzingo trained us in a variety of different topics such as corporate social
responsibility, unconscious bias, social entrepreneurship, etc., and assigned us amentor and coach to support us throughout the project. Along with our daily work,
the Emzingo crew would often take us on small trips to explore beautiful Madrid andlearn about Spanish traditions and culture (siestas included). This internship wassuper enriching and definitely one of the best professional experiences I have ever
had.“

Salma Shaikh, MPP ’23

FOOD HAVEN (GPS CONSULTING CLUB), SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA“Food Haven is a software startup that provides a platform for restaurants to list
their leftover food at the end of the day that consumers can purchase at a discounted
price. My task was to identify a potential new revenue stream utilizing the new foodlaws being rolled out regarding food waste in California. I researched food waste
policies in effect and also those that will be rolled out in the near future, prepared
a competitor analysis for food waste infrastructure in other cities, summarized
California-wide contract regulations and requirements regarding food waste andcreated a business case identifying where Food Haven could provide software toassist with compliance enforcement with California food waste laws, in the formof multiple potential revenue models. This internship gave me the opportunity to
be presented with a problem with little existing knowledge or research currently
available and come up with a succinct set of solutions for our client. It has made mevery excited to potentially pursue a career in consulting.“

Katie Simonian, MPP ’23

CIPRIANO VARGAS FOR VISTA MAYOR, VISTA, CALIFORNIA“This summer, I worked as a policy fellow for Cipriano Vargas on his campaign
for mayor of Vista. My duties included assisting on event planning, fundraising,canvassing, policy research, opposition research and voter outreach. I learned
many different platforms used by the campaign, such as Constant Contact (email
campaigns), ActBlue (fundraising), Callhub (text campaigns), Canva (graphics) andPDI (regional data). I was able to work directly with Vargas to learn the ins and outsof campaign flow. My job included a lot of outreach through phone calls and goingdoor-to-door, enabling me to communicate directly with voters and learn about whatissues were most important to them. I also made relationships with many of his
supporters and planned fundraising and meet-and-greet events for everyone to learn
about Vargas’ platform. It was a really great experience to learn about problems thatpeople are dealing with and help Vargas find ways to combat these issues.“

Viora Soetedo, MPP ‘23

SUPERVISOR JOEL ANDERSON, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA“My internship duties included policy research, constituent contact, government
agency engagement, research projects, community outreach initiative support,
administration and operation of databases, and public speaking. One of my favorite
professional experiences was representing the supervisor at a ribbon-cutting event
organized by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. I wrote certificates ofappreciation, presented them to the new company and gave a speech of gratitude.
Additionally, I worked on the Julian and Alpine community coffee events, canvassing
participants and asking them if they had any issues or concerns to add to theagenda. Overall, my summer internship benefited me in that I was directly involvedin the implementation of programs that facilitate policy analysis and proposal
development.”

Elise Spencer, MIA ‘23

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ENTERPRISES (IDE)“I am passionate about international development; therefore, throughout myinternship search I sought opportunities that focused on development issues,particularly poverty alleviation. I was excited to start my journey into the field ofdevelopment at International Development Enterprises (iDE), a nonprofit organization
whose mission is to create income livelihood opportunities for poor, rural households.
My main focus was on opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa, on which I conductedmarket research on geographic expansion, analyzed data and reported on theoperating environment, government frameworks, infrastructure and businessdevelopment opportunities in the region. This internship has been instrumental inproviding me with the toolkit to operate in an environment predicated on improving
the lives of the most vulnerable and developing solutions to eradicate poverty.“Wenjie Tang, MIA ’23

MITSUBISHI RESEARCH INSTITUTE, TOKYO, JAPAN“I interned at Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI), the think tank and consulting
branch of the Mitsubishi group, in Tokyo this summer. I worked with the economic
policy department of the company and was responsible for collecting and analyzing
macroeconomic news and data on the global supply chain and trade, assisting othergroup members in writing analysis reports and participating in research seminars
with peers both inside and outside the company. The most fascinating part ofthis internship was putting into practice the skills I’d just acquired during our firstyear of study, including international economics and politics, econometric analysis
and policy-related writing skills. It was also interesting to experience the different
cultures in work, society and language in Japan as compared to the U.S.“

Tino Tirado, MPP ‘23

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE (IRC),SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (REMOTE)“In my internship with the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Immigration
and Citizenship Services department, I assisted legal representatives that were
aiding clients across the San Diego area in navigating the U.S. immigration process.
My duties included serving as a liaison between clients and legal representatives
and drafting applications alongside the legal representatives for a variety ofimmigration forms, such as DACA renewals, asylum seekers, work authorization,family reunification, legal permanent residence and citizenship, etc. I also assisted
the immigration coordinator with drafting outreach documents for two family
reunification programs with which the IRC assisted: one program targeting
reunifying Central American minors with family members in the U.S. and one for
immediate family members of refugees and asylum seekers of certain nationalities
under the P-3 category of refugee admissions. I also conducted direct outreach bycontacting previous IRC clients and completing intake forms with them to determine
if they may meet the eligibility requirements for these programs.“

Christine (Yuting) Wan, MIA ’23

CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ENERGY (CCE); GPS CONSULTING CLUB;INSTITUTE ON GLOBAL CONFLICT AND COOPERATION“This summer I interned in three different positions, two in the electric vehicle (EV)industry. Through the internships, I have developed a more profound sense of the
EV/battery/energy industry and decided to dive into the supply chain problem withbatteries being manufactured and sold around the world. This problem is closely
related to the national strategy of the U.S., with China also playing a significant role,
which perfectly paired with the knowledge I’ve gained at GPS. I’ve also gained a great
deal of soft skills, such as teamwork, communication, client meeting preparation,
draft progress presentations and more. I’m really grateful for having such wonderful
opportunities, and they all contributed greatly to my career development.“Yuchen Wang, MPP ’23

GEMINIBIO (GPS CONSULTING CLUB)“Geminibio is a distributor dedicated to providing suppliers of chemical raw materials
and laboratory supplies from different regions entering the U.S. market. Our team’s
task was to identify the opportunities and challenges faced by Asian brands andto propose a specific entry strategy for the company. I was responsible for data
analysis and used data thinking to analyze problems and as evidence to support thestrategic actions we proposed. The biggest thing I learned from this internship is thatmy analysis had value to real-world companies, and that made me feel even moredetermined to go deeper in the direction of data analysis.“

Brenna Wayne, MIA ’23

GPS CONSULTING CLUB, GEMINIBIO“This summer I interned with the GPS Consulting Club as an analyst intern on
their project with Geminibio, a distributor for basic chemicals, antibodies, enzymes
and other materials from vendors in Eastern Europe and China to buyers in the
U.S. My work involved analyzing tariff code trends, compiling lists of potential
clients, researching import regulations and developing a go-to-market strategy
for Chinese companies. Through this work I have developed a variety of skills suchas communicating with clients, completing research as a team and succinctly
presenting our findings. This internship has also informed my job search byintroducing me to the world of consulting. I am excited to continue to learn more
about consulting and apply the skills I have learned to future positions after
graduation.“

Andrea Velazquez Acevedo, BA/MIA ’23

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ENTERPRISES (IDE GLOBAL)“International Development Enterprises (iDE) is a non-government organization
dedicated to ending poverty. We design and deliver market-based solutions inagriculture, water, sanitation and hygiene in 11 different countries across Asia, Africa
and Central America. My main tasks as a business development intern included
conducting market research and data analysis on geographic expansion and operating
environments in Latin America; reporting on government frameworks, infrastructure
and business development opportunities within the Latin American region; andsupporting live bids for grants and contracts. Given my passion for development, I amvery happy that I have been able to learn more about the inner workings of nonprofit
management and development work.“

Sunny (Qingai) Xu, BA/MPP ‘23

AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE, WASHINGTON, D.C.

“This summer, I interned as a data intern at the American Enterprise Institute, apublic policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. My roles included conducting
data analysis and writing reports for various long- and short-term projects, including
using natural language processing (NLP) to analyze the typology of all the followersof AEI Education Twitter account and the main account and presenting them to themedia team. Moreover, I worked with a data analyst to build a data pipeline that web
scrapes school districts’ websites, with all sentences processed by machine learningmodels. I also used QGIS and Python for other geospatial data analysis needed for
different projects. Working at AEI this summer has helped me to develop practical
data analysis skills and communication skills, especially how to communicate
findings to people without a quantitative background, and helped me gain more
knowledge about American education policy and how think tanks operate.“

Ana Zapata, MIA ’23

CENTER FOR U.S.-MEXICAN STUDIES, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA“I have been helping Associate Director Catheryn Camacho with the planning andexecution of the center’s three summer seminars on tax law, renewable energy
and U.S. political institutions. The participants were mainly Mexican government
officials and people from Mexico’s private sector. Though the majority of theseclasses were taught online, each seminar had an in-person component. For threeconsecutive weeks, around 35 participants came to GPS for the in-person seminar,
which included career-based field trips. In a short period of time, I learned a lot about
foreign affairs and, most importantly, had the opportunity to network with people
from a number of different career sectors in Mexico.“

Milena Zeray, MIA ‘23

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE,SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (REMOTE)“This summer I interned remotely with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as
an immigration intern in San Diego, California. Working with the legal representatives
has been really exciting, as I get to see firsthand how the immigration process works.
Some of the tasks assigned to me include contacting clients about submitting
paperwork or missing documents, notifying clients about upcoming appointments,
working in IRC’s database and preparing clients’ files. One cool part of this internshipwas that I was able to translate for a client who only speaks Tigrinya, which is mynative language. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to intern with an amazingorganization that is making positive impacts on people’s lives.“

gps.ucsd.edu
9500 Gilman Drive #0519, La Jolla, CA 92093-0519(858) 534-2660 | gps-careers@ucsd.edu