From Seattle to DC and Back (Part 3)

The past two weeks have really gone by too quickly; luckily I have been keeping notes of my activities since I started my internship. The amount of information I am receiving from my internship, class, and events I attend during the week are giving me the type of solid foundation in understanding trade that I was looking for when I applied to this program.

The knowledge I have gained through my internship in just two weeks really surprises me. Recently we went to an event on business opportunities in India for hi-technology and bio-pharmaceutical companies. Through shadowing with Trade Specialist I now have a thorough understanding of the practical side of doing NAFTA certification and all the details it involves. Another subject that surprised me was the depth of EU privacy rights when compared to US privacy rights. We learned about this during a presentation about Safe Harbor Certification for US companies to be EU compliant when it came to privacy rights.

I am trying to volunteer at the Maryland Small Business Development Center. The reason I am interested in this organization is currently I am interning at the US Department of Commerce in the Trade Information Center assisting small and medium sized businesses in exporting. I would like to volunteer with this organization to get an understanding of the process business owners go through in establishing and growing their businesses in the domestic market as well. Being from a family that runs a small business I believe that what is done at this organization is not only helping people realize their aspirations but also contributing to the well being of the surrounding community, which is another reason why I would like to volunteer at the Capital Region Small Business Development Center.

Nathan Gardner
Boeing Fellow
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce

From Seattle to DC and Back (Part 2)

My internship site is in the Ronald Reagan/International Trade Center which is relatively new for a federal building. Some bonuses of being at this location are a food court in the basement and a large cafeteria in the Hoover building at the Department of Commerce. The metro station is also located directly below our building so we don’t have to walk a long distance after getting off the metro. Also the Smithsonian Institution is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from our building so we can go there on our lunch breaks. People in my office get along with each other very well so the environment is very relaxed. This past week we have been doing training on looking up tariff information and using the different databases depending on whether the country is Brazil, Panama, or the products are covered under NAFTA. On Friday I did my first tariff and tax information request for a company in Missouri that was exporting to Mexico.

Nathan Gardner
Boeing Fellow
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce

From Seattle to DC and Back (Part 1)

The internship placement process went very smooth as I received contact from the Department of Commerce soon after I had requested to have my information sent.  Although my contact at my internship indicated that work would include working on trade regions outside of China, which I don’t mind, I hope that I will still be able to apply general business principles learned in the academic course to these regions also, which I believe is possible with a little innovative thinking.  I believe being able to work on trade regions outside China will strengthen my trade and business knowledge.

Nathan Gardner
Boeing Fellow
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce