This summer I found myself reassessing my view of government as a vague and impersonal political machine chugging away in the Capitol. Adhering to my mom’s requirement that I stay close to family this summer, I gave up hopes of interning in D.C. and instead spent three months interning in a storefront office in Missouri … Read more
“In the summer whole peoples visit one another to spy out each other’s nakedness. Hebrew and Arabic, which are like guttural stones, like sand on the palate, grow soft as oil for the tourist’s sake. Jihad and wars of mitzvah burst open like ripe figs.” —from “Songs of Zion the Beautiful” by Yehuda Amichai … Read more
There’s a little place in Upstate NY, nestled along one of the most pristine 17-mile-long Finger Lakes (the seventh cleanest lake in the world, in fact), surrounded by woods and farmland beyond that, dotted with lake cottages, a few still relying on outdoor “plumbing,” where everyone fears the onset of hydrofracking. There, you won’t find … Read more
Being introduced as “the Harvard intern” on the first day of my internship at the Massachusetts State House this past summer was more of a concern for me than I think the woman doing the introductions realized. I felt that the label implied that I had qualified for the position simply because I go to … Read more
This summer, enveloped in a campaign cycle largely defined by cynicism and triviality, I re-learned to love politics. In fact, interning at the national headquarters of President Obama’s re-election campaign for the past few months was the most amazing opportunity I didn’t think I wanted. As the Republican primaries passed and the general election race … Read more
The United States’ relationship with the Arab world might be described as “involved,” “turbulent,” and largely focused on the Middle East. France, however, has a very different relationship with the Arab world centered on the Maghreb, the North African Arab nations consisting of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. I saw the unique interaction between the French … Read more
I loved my job this summer: it used the wind to move hearts and minds (it’s a bird?), it traveled across the nation from New York City to Minneapolis to Denver to San Antonio, (it’s a plane?), and it consumed vegetable oil by the tank (it’s a fast food chain?). No. It’s the BioBus! A … Read more
I spent two months this past summer interning on Capitol Hill for my Congressman, Rep. Gus Bilirakis. This immersion into the central artery of our nation’s government provided much more than the opportunity to field phone calls, sort mail and give Capitol tours. It yielded invaluable insight into the mystical world of the legislative branch, … Read more
Not surprisingly, my two-month summer internship at China Universal Asset Management deepened my understanding of Chinese financial markets and the Chinese economy at large. But as I sifted through market analyses and examined the client potential of foreign investors, more poignant questions were often on my mind. Surely this – a market economy driven by … Read more
I’ve grown up introducing myself as the girl from Bombay, India. I’m entirely used to having to dispel the notions many people have about what it means to live in the subcontinent. No. I don’t own a cow. But yes, there are cows in the streets sometimes. No, not everyone is a Hindu. Yes, people … Read more