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I found my internship at the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C., browsing programs available through the , which helps students get experience in federal government.

The is a fairly selective program, with about a 15 percent acceptance rate. I was working as an international oil and gas energy analyst in the Office of Fossil Energy. This meant I got to choose a country in Africa or the Middle East and write a report examining their oil and gas sector, with recommendations for ways American companies and the national labs could engage.

I chose Ghana, which has a growing energy sector. Day-to-day, I was researching Ghana's current situation with help from the (led by a ) and other analysts. My report will be used in upcoming talks with the Ghanaian Ministry of Energy. I also attended meetings on the India Gas Task Force, the South Africa Energy Task Force, and did background research on gas and oil in China and India for another analyst.

I enjoyed getting to combine my international affairs and mechanical engineering degrees, as I was able to use my analytical skills to help make infrastructure suggestions while also being aware of socioeconomic risks. I also got to experience working for the Department of Energy, which has long been a dream of mine.

While this internship has confirmed my desire to be an energy analyst and potentially pursue a path in the federal government, I believe I would choose to go along a renewable energy pathway. I would highly recommend this internship to any students who are considering working for a national lab or in federal government – most other MLE Fellows were put in national labs, but I was in D.C. due to my international affairs experience.

Ursula “Bryn” Grunwald from Boulder, Colo., is earning a BS/MS in mechanical engineering and a BA in international affairs.