Three of this year's ninety-seven funded interns—who have grants from Bowdoin's Career Exploration and Development office—are working for federal agencies. Two of them have Sabra and Richard B. '62 Ladd Government Internship Awards. (And this does not include the group of Bowdoin juniors who have fellowships through Bowdoin Public Service to intern in Washington D.C.)
Michael McAlarney ’21, US Department of Treasury, Washington DC
Within the Treasury, which hired almost ninety interns this summer, McAlarney is the sole intern with the Federal Financing Bank (FFB). The FFB provides financing to assist the lending programs of federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Energy, and the Rural Electrification Agency, among many others.
"The FFB tries to minimally disrupt the private loan market to let these federal agencies take out affordable loans and pay them back at a sustainable rate," McAlarney said.
At Bowdoin, McAlarney's an economics major and government minor, and he's interested in working in investment banking after he graduates. He said he pursued an opportunity with the Treasury to immerse himself in a financial environment. While he sees some of the macroeconomic theory he studies in class play out in his day-to-day responsibilities, what's been more interesting is watching how current events and the daily economic news work its way into his internship.
"It’s been a great feeling being at the forefront of market changes and seeing how they affect public finance," he said. "It is an exhilarating feeling contributing to the disbursement of funds that allows these federal agencies to make a positive impact on their communities."
McAlarney also expressed appreciation for his summer grant from the Mellam Family Foundation Fund for Internship Support. "Without a doubt, the funded internship is extremely helpful; I would not have been able to take this job without it," he said.
Most valuable skill learned: "Learning how to work as part of a professional team in a financial setting, and understanding how important efficiency and transparency are to enabling team success."
Jonas Cortes ’20, Federal Trade Commission, Los Angeles
At the Federal Trade Commission's Los Angeles bureau this summer, Cortes is an investigative intern. "Essentially, what I do is conduct preliminary research on potential and ongoing cases, working with investigators and researchers in the office," he said.
The FTC protects consumers from fraudulent, predatory, and deceptive business practices, pursuing litigation against companies it decides have broken the law.
After several weeks on the job, Cortes has read through hundreds of consumer complaints; more than a million are filed every year. But the FTC can only address a small fraction of cases.
So Cortes has gotten inspired to think about ways the government can help people avoid being scammed or robbed in the first place. "I believe the FTC can improve the capability of how they use the complaints, not just to bolster their litigation cases, but to create meaningful legislation that focuses on prevention," he said.
For instance, he suggested social media sites be held more accountable for the ads they run. "People see the ads on a trustworthy source, so they order products based on the ads," he said, not expected the "jankie" things they end up with.
Cortes, who is from Inglewood, California, is an economics major. "I'm very politically engaged," he said. "Ideally, I'd like to use economics to devise efficient policies."
Most valuable lesson: "I have really seen how valuable a well-rounded education is. Even though I've only been here five, six weeks, I've used skills relating to coding, writing, and knowledge I've learned from a variety of my classes."
Helen Wang ’20, Embassy of Canada to the United States, Washington, DC
Two years ago, Helen Wang ’20 interned for Canada's Indigenous and Northern Affairs bureau in Toronto—an experience that made her think seriously about pursuing a career in public service. She is a Canadian citizen who moved to the US when she was twelve, first to Indiana, then to Iowa.
"Public service is inspiring to me because you feel like you're giving back in a way and doing something will make a difference," she said.
This summer, she is working in the public affairs division of the Canadian embassy, a job that has made it possible for her to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He traveled to DC in June on an official state visit to meet with President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
"It was a neat opportunity! I shook his hand, and at the end of his visit, he had a meeting with the embassy staff and said the work we're doing is important," Wang said.
Among her many tasks this summer is organizing public events, writing website articles about Canada that are translated into French, and helping to commission artwork by Canadian artists. "We have a lot of art in the building to showcase Canadian artists," she explained.
During the recent Pride parade in DC, in which embassy staff marched with Canadian flags, Wang said she heard from many fellows marchers how much they love Canada. "I feel like it is important to me to use this good reputation we have in the US for good, for both Canadian and American interests," she said.
Most valuable part of the internship: "Being able to connect with people from a variety of different backgrounds who work in different capacities at the embassy. It's interesting to see how they got to where they are."
