This summer I interned at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a multilateral development bank committed to reduce poverty and inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean. I worked in the Structured Corporate Finance Department, with the Development Effectiveness team. My work was focused on establishing a baseline database for future use in determining the impact of the agribusiness and infrastructure projects that the department funds. I also wrote a case study, analyzing the impacts of a clean energy project in Brazil that was funded by the IDB.

I am studying environmental engineering with a specific interest in water resource management and international development. Prior to this summer, my experiences have come from working in a lab, on in-field projects, and with research internships. My time at the IDB allowed me to gain a brand new perspective of development work (from the financial side), and helped me to develop the tools and mindset necessary for taking an idea and turning it into a completed project.

In my immediate future, I would like to spend a few years traveling and working on development projects, with a specific focus on those projects that involve the interaction between people and the environmental resources they have available to them. Interning at the IDB allowed me to gain insight on other aspects of development, and allowed me to develop the communication tools needed to make a project successful. I am thankful for valuable skills I learned and for the wonderful people I met while at the IDB.