Shoshanna Hemley ‘25 is a Political Science major who spent her summer in Washington, DC interning at the Department of Commerce for the Minority Business Development Agency, the only federal agency solely dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of minority enterprises. For students interested in careers in Law & Government, read more about Shoshanna’s experience here:
What do you usually do in your day-to-day?
“Write up briefing memos for the Under Secretary’s meetings. Writing do outs for the Under Secretary’s meetings (summarizing the meetings and highlighting next steps/action items). Filling in gaps when needed in communications (so helping the speech writer with talking points). Helping compile data on our business centers. Filling out spreadsheets to prepare for our Capital Readiness Program which grants over 100 million dollars to minority business incubators/accelerators. Helping with events and any policy research needed. It’s pretty random and depends on the day and how many meetings we have, but there is very little fetching of coffees/waters or answering phones or letters the way other internships may be.”
What have been the highlights of the experience so far?
“Meeting so many cool and important people such as the President of the Filipino Senate has been great as well as having everything important being so close by such as the Red Cross, the state department, GSA, and so many other things being within just a few blocks from my apartment. Finally, the community here is so supportive and it truly feels like a small town where I’m constantly running into people I know, especially Ephs!”
How do you deal with the dress code?
“This was definitely a learning curve I had to adjust to. I didn’t know what the heck the difference was between business casual, business formal, and business professional and for men it’s pretty easy; you wear a suit and tie for business formal, either a jacket or tie for business for professional, and no jacket or tie for business casual. For non-men, it’s a little less clear, but I usually stick by the following rules for business formal: matching neutral or dark toned suits with either trousers or a skirt hat is no shorter than inch above the knee, or a professional dress with a jacket that is no shorter than inch above the knee (but again, the difference between formal and professional is pretty difficult so I just switch to black/gray suits with a white button down.”
“The best advice I’ve gotten for dressing professionally is to always dress slightly more formal than the highest ranked person in your office.”
What is some other internship advice you have for others?
“Be a team player and work well with others. Instead of sitting on your phone when you’re done with a task, always search for more ways to help. If your boss is stressed or busy, see if you can lighten their load. Also, be sure to set boundaries, especially if you are an unpaid intern. If you’re working a 9-5, you better leave at 5. The best feedback my supervision has given me is my timeliness for sure! Being on time and getting tasks done is so important no matter where you are working or what you are doing!”
To watch more of Shoshanna’s and other Williams student experiences, be sure to follow @ephcareers on Instagram!