Success Stories
Nekabari Goka
SPIA & Franklin College: May 2012
Economic Policy Intern at Roosevelt Institute Summer Academy
During the first semester of my sophomore year at the University of Georgia, I began attending meetings with the UGA chapter of the Roosevelt Institute, a nationally recognized student-led public policy think tank. Public policy has always been an interest of mine, and so when I received word of a summer policy internship program being offered through the Roosevelt Institute, I jumped at the opportunity! The application information was sent over the School of Public and International Affairs listserv, and soon after I submitted my application, I received notification that I had been selected for a phone interview. After a successful phone interview, I was informed that I was selected to participate in the 2011 Roosevelt Summer Academy, working as an economic policy intern in the institute’s New York office.
I attribute a large amount of my success during the phone interview to the application of the “S.T.A.R.” interviewing technique, a skill that I learned after participating in a mock interview with my Career Consultant at the University of Georgia Career Center. I found the technique very useful, and needless to say, I plan to put it to good use in interviews to come. I am looking forward to the upcoming summer in New York City, and I hope to return to Athens in the fall with a greater sense of the impact of public policy in our everyday interactions. Thanks to the Career Center for helping me along the way!