Intern Profile: Zoe Abbott Boyd ’15
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Zoe Abbott Boyd ’15
Major: Economics
Hometown: New York, New York
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?
I am interning with a nonprofit organization in southeast Portland called Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG). OSPIRG is a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety, our financial security, or our right to fully participate in our democratic society. As an intern, I am assisting with grassroots organizing for a variety OSPIRG’s campaigns. My duties include affecting the media by writing op-eds and letters to the editor (including this piece that recently appeared in BlueOregon), reaching out directly to the public through phone calls, attending press conferences, and meeting with Oregon’s legislative representatives.
How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and funding your internship?
The resources at Lewis & Clark greatly helped me secure my internship. The Career Development Center hosted a meeting last fall with an OSPIRG representative. At the conclusion of the event, I arranged a time and place on campus the following day for my first interview for the position. The Career Development Center inviting employers to recruit on campus enabled me to discover OSPIRG and begin the process of applying for their summer internship.
How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your in your overall career development?
As OSPIRG works to both inform consumers and foster their participation on political issues, it is the perfect environment to develop the skills necessary for a career in public service and political activism. Interning with OSPIRG is allowing me to follow my passion of altering public policies for the better. Though I had experience working at a nonprofit last summer in New York City, additional experience in the nonprofit sector will diversify my understanding of office dynamics and effective strategies, and help me work toward a permanent job in the field.
The Stephanie Fowler and Irving Levin Summer Internship Award was established by Stephanie Fowler MA ’97 and Irving Levin, generous donors committed to ensuring that Lewis & Clark students are able to have meaningful and enriching summer internship experiences.
