Mia Tamayo interned with The Co-Design Collaborative (Co-Lab) from the Vertically Integrated Teams program, working as a research assistant in partnership with World Pulse, a women-led, global social network for social change.
How did you get your internship?
Because I’m in the double degree program with UA and Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas in Peru, I wanted to take advantage of UA's resources and student engagement opportunities. After a long search for opportunities online, through department emails, and information on the official site, I found this program. It was coincidental to see that the applications for the present term were open, and I didn´t think twice about applying. I sent a form with my details and a week later I received a message from Dr. Jasmine Linabary — the internship supervisor — telling me that she wanted to get to know me through an online interview.
Why did you choose this internship?
I decided to enroll in this internship because it enabled me to develop not just my academic writing skills, but also acquire enriching knowledge about unjust practices that women suffer from around the world, not only in my country, and contribute to building a change. Moreover, the aggregate value for me was to work alongside students and professionals collaborating in the “Shift the Power” project from different fields, careers, and countries was incredible.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
Specifically, I co-led the cleaning and initial analysis of a set of Twitter/X data related to the hashtag #ShiftThePower, a conversation within the international development sector. Some of my duties and responsibilities included reviewing academic literature about combining qualitative and computational methods, conducting an initial read and cleaning of a subset of tweets, completing written reflections of my process and insights from the data, experimenting with different tools for analysis, and participating in weekly team meetings. Most recently, I presented on the project as part of a UA College of Humanities Data Brown Bag event.
What skills did you develop in this internship?
I had the opportunity to gain knowledge and develop skills in many areas. I strengthened my qualitative research skills. I also enhanced my intercultural and professional communication skills through working in our diverse team setting. Finally, I also built my networking and relationship building skills by establishing strong ties with my advisors and my teammates.
What did you find challenging about your internship?
One of the most challenging situations that I had to face during my internship was overcoming language barriers in the meetings. Since English is not my mother tongue, it was difficult at the beginning to gain confidence and speak fluently with everyone; there were even times where I didn't know what to say because of my nerves. However, with the passing of the time, this feeling started to fade and now I can speak and share my ideas with conviction, something that seemed unbelievable when I first began.
How has your internship experience influenced your plans for your future?
This internship reinforced my idea to dedicate myself to the academy after graduation. I plan to apply for a master’s degree and eventually a PhD program in my field, which is political science. I really enjoy conducting research and gaining analytical skills during the process, establishing strong connections with authors and contributing to the creation of knowledge both in my country and the political science community.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for and begin their internship?
Don’t be afraid to follow new paths; everything is an experience and if you don’t know how to do something, you will learn in the process. Today can be a challenge, but tomorrow will be a huge opportunity to develop yourself as a professional. Trust in the process and accept the challenge.