This summer, Babita Bhetwal, an MPH in Prevention and Intervention Programming student, interned with the Idaho Housing and Finance Association.
Read on to learn about her experience and her thoughts on the value of internships!
Where did you intern?
This summer I am doing an internship at Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA). IHFA is a financial and housing organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for Idaho residents by providing access to affordable housing and finance opportunities.
How did you get hired for this internship?
I applied to another internship within IHFA and the manager of the department I was working at was also there during my interview. I didn’t get the internship that I applied for, but later I got the call that the compliance department wanted to hire me as an intern. My LinkedIn was not updated, but my resume was updated with the help of Career Services — so I think that helped me to land this internship.
What are some of your projects or responsibilities?
I am doing an internship within the compliance department of the IHFA. As part of a survey project, I worked data extractions, survey design, sample calculations, sent out the surveys, analyzed the results and created visuals such as graphs, cross tabulations and tables.
What has been the best part of your internship experience?
The best part about this internship is that I was able to use each of the things that I have studied in the MPH program. As I am an international student, I also got to learn about American work culture, which is very interesting.
What about your internship experience are you most proud of?
I was able to work independently and was able to complete it successfully. I became more confident about survey design, quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
What advice do you have for students who are applying for or completing internships?
Never stop working. When you are persistent, the day is not far when everything will fall into place as you have wished. Never doubt yourself, just believe in yourself and keep working.
Interested in learning about or applying for an internship? Learn more on the SPPH Internship Page!