This summer, I was very fortunate to obtain an internship at Infinity Technology in McLean, Virginia. I was a Business Development intern, working mostly with the Business Development Director and another intern. It was my first internship at a business firm so I was nervous about meeting their expectations. However, it was an amazing experience for me that I will never forget.
At first, I did not understand many of the things that they were saying but I tried to learn it myself afterwards. I always tried to do my best when I was given a task and proved to the executives that I was a hard worker. As a business development intern, I was assigned to a government agency, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, and was in charge of creating a relationship establishment plan, keeping up to date with the upcoming opportunities and learning about the agency. Moreover, I worked with the Vice President and other directors to work on many different projects. One of the biggest project I worked on this summer is the TSA Operations and Maintenance Proposal. I worked in tandem with Proposal Manager and Business Development Director to respond to clients’ request for proposal and request for information. I also participated in generation of data class for prime contractors and sub-contractors, as well as generating request for quotes for vendors. This project allowed me to see the processes of submitting a proposal and what needs to be done. It was a valuable experience for me because I was able to contribute to the writing of the proposal and the process of submitting the proposal.
One of my favorite memories as an intern was assisting Ms. Poland in attending a technical solution meeting with Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. I was chosen to attend the meeting with her at Washington, D.C. and I was able to experience what goes on at a technical solution meeting. I was very nervous but excited to go and it was a very valuable experience for me. Going to Office of the Comptroller of the Currency was fascinating and I learned a lot at the meeting. Ms. Poland did not only teach me what business development is but she also taught me social aspects in an office. I learned so much from Ms. Poland and through this internship that I was so grateful for this opportunity.
From this internship, I realized that even though I do not know much about business, they were very happy with the effort I put in, timeliness and hard work. I built a strong relationship with the executives and possessed excellent interpersonal and presentation skills. At the end of the internship, I had to present to all of the executives on my agency, NOAA. I talked about the mission, spending breakdown, and upcoming opportunities that align with Infinity Technology’s goals. The executives were very impressed with the work I put in which made me very happy.
This internship experience changed my future plans because I would love to work my up to become a business development director. Ms. Poland gave me a lot of advice and she told me many things about working in business development, which I thought was a good match for me. From all the experiences I have as being in the executive board of the Korean Student Association to applying all the knowledge I have as a Business minor, I was able to apply to this internship and got great feedback. This internship not only allowed me to learn about the business aspect but also allowed me to learn the social skills at a job. I was very excited to share this internship experience and I am grateful that I was able to intern at Infinity Technology with amazing people.