An intern’s experience at GPD
Stacie joined GPD as an intern in March 2015 and quickly became a core and valued part of the team. Recognising her contribution, we extended her initial 3-month internship and in November hired her as Project Assistant. After almost a year with us, she recently moved on to a brilliant role at InterConnect Communications, where she works as an internet policy consultant. Here’s her reflections on the experience.
A year ago, I was studying for an MSc in Media and Communications Governance at the London School of Economics, and had become increasingly interested in the intersections between internet policy and human rights. However, much of the internet ecosystem remained opaque and confusing to me. So many acronyms! Around this time, I came across the GPD internship through my university.
From the outset, everyone in the team was really supportive and inclusive. My internship was tailored around my skills and main areas of interest, and built in regular, structured feedback, which I found really useful. As well as organizing several major international conferences, during my time at GPD I contributed to policy papers, conducted original research, wrote blog articles, and had the chance to work (and network!) with some of the top names in IG – an invaluable experience for a budding internet policy professional. Another highlight was leading a data visualisation project around cybersecurity; it challenged me to think more about how we present and frame narratives around policy, a lesson which has stuck with me and continues to inform my work.
As an organisation, GPD is very horizontal – so interns are definitely encouraged (and expected!) to contribute ideas and have a full say on policy and project development. What endures the most is the relationships I built there – it’s a fantastic, diverse team, full of creative, interesting people who love what they do. Since working there, I’ve gained so much in confidence, and gained a much stronger and more focused perspective on the issues I’m interested in. I would recommend this internship to anyone.
If I had one piece of advice for prospective candidates? Don’t rule yourself out because you think you’re not the ‘ideal candidate’. I didn’t think I was – but it’s not just about what you know. Enthusiasm, creativity, and a different way of seeing things will take you a long way.