by Stephanie Galbraith
This summer, I interned at the Foreign Agricultural Service in Washington, D.C.
This summer, I was an intern with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Washington, D.C. FAS is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that promotes U.S. agricultural exports, addresses global food insecurity, resolves trade policy issues, and provides global market intelligence for agricultural products. I worked with the Foreign Affairs branch of FAS, which provides leadership and operational support to the foreign service officers and local staff that work in FAS offices around the world. As part of the Western Hemisphere Division, I attended agency-wide calls for countries in the region to learn about the agricultural trade policies unique to each country as well as various FAS programs supporting agricultural economic development. This experience allowed me to connect with foreign service officers around the world and civil service employees in D.C. to better understand the many career paths within FAS. I also assisted with the Global Attaché Conference that brings the agency’s foreign service officers to DC to receive policy updates from FAS leadership, other U.S. government agencies, and U.S. agricultural exporters. I was able to attend many of the presentations to learn about the issues that foreign service officers are working on around the world. Other projects I worked on this summer include updating and expanding the training catalog for foreign service officers and analyzing global trade data to inform the agency’s annual review process. As a Public Service Fellow with IPED, I am grateful for my internship with FAS which is a great experience as I plan to pursue an international-focused career with the U.S. government after graduation. I would recommend an internship with FAS, either in Washington, D.C. or at an international office, to future IPED students who are interested in trade policy, food security, or agricultural development.
Left: USDA headquarters is located on the National Mall.
Center: Every Friday in the summer, there is a farmer’s market at USDA.
Right: Under Secretary Alexis Taylor swears in new foreign service officers during the Global Attaché Conference
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