OFAC does a remarkable job at promoting and creating connections. The intern that I share a room with as I had stated previously attends Law School currently as do most of the other interns on the OFAC floor. This gives me a great opportunity to get to understand and know what Law School is like and see if it truly is something that I want to pursue. Not only am I surrounded by current students but my supervisor is also an attorney and has already given me some great advice.
The OFAC floor held a breakfast the other morning to allow the rest of the interns to get to meet and know one another as well as allow the other licensing officers to get to meet and know all of us as well. It was overall a fantastic opportunity and I left feeling much more confident about my time at the Treasury and interning in OFAC. Not only was I able to meet with some of the other licensing officers but we were given the opportunity to talk and meet with the Director and Assistant Director. Being in a new city that I had never been before it was also great to get to meet some locals and hear some advice. Overall I am very pleased with my internship, the work has fluctuated from mundane to incredibly difficult but I have learned a great deal and also have learned how much the Treasury Department deals with in regards to Terrorism files and such. It is very comforting knowing though that my supervisor has an open door policy as does everyone else on the floor so that if I come to a difficult issue I can always approach them.
The Treasury Department creates lectures and trips to visit locations in DC for all the interns that are currently located there and I am very excited to be able to see and do more in the DC area.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
First Day of the Internship
My first day started out far from smooth but overall it turned out to be a great day. I arrived at the front steps of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) building as I had discussed with my supervisor prior to nine. The walk was beautiful, I had a short walk from the GW dorms to the OFAC building and I have an amazing view since I walk past the Old Executive Office, The White House, and the Treasury building.
I kept looking at my watch and saw 9 go and come and I began to become paranoid. I called my supervisor's number and no one answered and then I began to doubt myself on what I had discussed previously with my supervisor. Luckily, one of her coworkers came to get me and had told me she was stuck in traffic. The amount of security that a person has to go through in DC is ridiculous, to amount of security needed to enter a government facility is beyond crazy. Once I was inside I received my ID and was taken up to the Licensing Department floor and introduced to everyone. I felt very fortunate for my internship and was slightly worried that I'd become a person associated with the stories of internships and how there was a possibility that I could become a staple pusher and a coffee run girl. I was excited to see that I'd actually be able to analyze licenses and write some and be able to incorporate some of what I've already covered in my courses in my work. I was settled into my office with another intern who currently is a third year law student at Villanova Law School. Overall it was interesting to see that only five students were selected to intern in the Licensing Department and I was the only Undergraduate student.
Once my supervisor came in we spoke briefly about Arizona, since she's an ASU alumni, and spoke about my future aspirations. She gave me some work to overview and that very first day I was assigned my very two first cases. So overall the day didn't start smoothly but it did end extremely well. Having never worked a nine to five job, overall the experience is very different. My favorite part of my internship would be the fifteen minute walk to and from work as I walk past The White House.
I kept looking at my watch and saw 9 go and come and I began to become paranoid. I called my supervisor's number and no one answered and then I began to doubt myself on what I had discussed previously with my supervisor. Luckily, one of her coworkers came to get me and had told me she was stuck in traffic. The amount of security that a person has to go through in DC is ridiculous, to amount of security needed to enter a government facility is beyond crazy. Once I was inside I received my ID and was taken up to the Licensing Department floor and introduced to everyone. I felt very fortunate for my internship and was slightly worried that I'd become a person associated with the stories of internships and how there was a possibility that I could become a staple pusher and a coffee run girl. I was excited to see that I'd actually be able to analyze licenses and write some and be able to incorporate some of what I've already covered in my courses in my work. I was settled into my office with another intern who currently is a third year law student at Villanova Law School. Overall it was interesting to see that only five students were selected to intern in the Licensing Department and I was the only Undergraduate student.
Once my supervisor came in we spoke briefly about Arizona, since she's an ASU alumni, and spoke about my future aspirations. She gave me some work to overview and that very first day I was assigned my very two first cases. So overall the day didn't start smoothly but it did end extremely well. Having never worked a nine to five job, overall the experience is very different. My favorite part of my internship would be the fifteen minute walk to and from work as I walk past The White House.
Who I am & Where I Intern
I feel incredibly fortunate to have be given such an amazing opportunity to be an intern in the U.S. Department of Treasury in the Office of Foreign Assets Control for a semester. It's given me a great and rare opportunity to leave my comfort zone of Arizona and experience something new in Washington, D.C.
My name is Leonor and I am currently a Junior studying Public Service & Public Policy. I am always used to having to explain to people what exactly my major is when I tell them but one of the greatest experiences was having a phone interview for the position at the Department of Treasury with my now presiding advisor and her absolutely love my major and tell me how it's such an ideal major for anyone that wants to work in the Treasury Department.
All the classes that I've taken and everything that I've had to study has, in my opinion, prepared me adequately to work in the Licensing Department for the Treasury Department. I am excited to see where I end up at the end of my internship and how much of a difference my career goals will change.
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