Internship Teaches Student About Business

Bowie State University (BSU) recently announced the extension and expansion of a (EPA) to provide opportunities for faculty and students. Patch interviewed BSU student Melissa Parson, who participates in the internship program, to learn more about her experience with the EPA.

Bowie Patch: Why did you choose to be a business major and what are your career goals?
Melissa Parson: I chose to become a business management major because the corporate world interests me. I enjoy working with others and being a team player in order to complete administrative tasks. At the moment my career goals include graduating with my undergraduate degree this fall (December 2012), pursuing an MBA and hopefully becoming a full-time employee at the EPA or another federal agency.

Bowie Patch: Tell me about the internship with the EPA. What do you do on a regular basis?
Parson: Currently, I work with The Office of Grants and Debarment at EPA headquarters (in Washington, DC) as their intern through the Student Diversity Internship Program.

Within my time here, I have:

• Worked with EPA grant specialists, project officers, and grant recipients to close out 23 grants to assist organization in meeting goals.
• Organized foreign grant awards requested for congressional review.
• Served as the BSU student point of contact for the EPA-BSU Mentoring Program—a program that pairs students from Bowie State University with employees in the EPA.
• Converted and uploaded paper grant files to the organization’s Electronic Grants Record System in order to reduce paper and contribute to the agency’s mission.

Bowie Patch: What has working with the EPA taught you about business? Has the experience focused or changed what you want to do after college?
Parson: Working within EPA has given me a greater understanding of what EPA actually does and how almost any student can potentially apply their degree in this field. I have met several employees with backgrounds in law, psychology, business and science that all work within one office. This experience has taught me that I can expand my management background and not limit it to one specific job title or area. I have also decided that I want to pursue an MBA. I considered the idea at first when my husband decided to return to school to receive his masters (graduates in 2013) and I was unsure if that would be a personal goal of mine as well. However, I have observed through others, at EPA, how climbing the higher educational ladder can be beneficial to my career and lifestyle in the future.  

Bowie Patch: What is the best/worst part of internship experience?
Parson: The best part is (all of the above) being able to experience the working world outside of classroom curriculum, interacting with co-workers, and gaining further knowledge, as well as, expanding my networking skills. The worst, not so pleasant, part would have to be my 45-minute commute to downtown DC.