This summer students were scattered around the country and across the globe getting first-hand professional experience during their summer internships. Students are sharing their experiences through InternGrams, a recap of the what, where, and wow of their experiences.
Name: Katharine Anderson BA ‘20
Organization: The Normandy Group
Location: Washington, DC
Career aspiration: Government Consulting/Policy Advisor in the White House
During my time at the Normandy Group I got to attend and record hearings, organize fly-ins, and speak to Members of Congress on behalf of the clients.
The client I worked for the most was the largest producer of leafy greens. During the romaine warning in November 2018, it lost $10 million dollars of product. This loss resulted in layoffs. The company has the technology to prove its lettuce is not contaminated meeting safety standards that exceed the FDA's current regulation. I got to attend meetings on the behalf of the client with the FDA and USDA to create a better recall system. Further, the client was interested in increasing industry standards, while not hurting smaller farmers. I also scheduled and attended meetings with Senators and Congresspeople to update them on the meetings between the FDA and the client. I really enjoyed learning about food safety and the difference between organic and conventional agriculture.
Additionally, I attended the hearing on the Boeing 737 crashes, which was very interesting and I learned a lot about the mechanics of that particular aircraft.
The company planned and executed a fly-in event for a Colorado-based group, where business people could speak to Colorado’s congressional delegation. I got to hear Michael Bennet speak candidly about his thoughts on the electoral college. As a Colorado native, it was really great to hear my representatives and senators speak in person. Colorado also flipped a lot of seats in the midterms, so it was exciting to see new faces like Representative Joe Neguse.
My boss also coaches the women's congressional softball team, so I had the opportunity to play catch with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and run bases for Representative Donna Shalala during their practices.