Internships

Working in CBO’s National Security Division this summer provided me a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between my previous professional experience and my graduate studies in economics. As a summer associate in NSD, I conducted and presented research on the availability and use of the Navy’s aircraft before and after large-scale maintenance events. As part of that work, I developed algorithms to clean extensive data sets and report key metrics. Even though my internship was remote because of the pandemic, I felt incredibly connected to the other staff at CBO and encouraged to be involved.

Being a summer associate at CBO has been a wonderful experience. It provided me with an opportunity to apply econometric methods and work with large data sets. My project in the National Security Division was studying real property assets on U.S. Army bases. Weekly seminars helped me learn about the work other divisions do. CBO’s staff did an excellent job of making everything work smoothly during a remote internship.

Interning at CBO has given me an opportunity to further develop my media relations and public affairs skills alongside a supportive and engaging communications team. I have been able to contribute to CBO’s efforts to interact with and answer questions from the media and the public. Throughout my internship, there have been many opportunities for career development and networking, and I know this experience will contribute greatly to achieving my future career goals.

During my internship with CBO’s Office of Financial Management, I completed an internal controls testing project, processed invoices, and conducted budget changes. I also attended seminars that introduced me to different divisions in CBO. My team never hesitated to assist me when needed or to offer me advice about how to accomplish my career goals. The experience has allowed me to gain useful skills that will benefit me as I continue my journey to become an accounting professional.

Although I was working in the Health Analysis Division, with a focus on developing a data set related to the historical development of pharmaceuticals, I had the opportunity to interact with analysts in other divisions too. CBO’s staff were extremely helpful and welcoming. My assigned work was interesting, and I was able to contribute meaningfully to the work of the Congress.

During my internship with CBO’s National Security Division, I explored and analyzed the labor force outcomes of veterans with disability compensation. The economists in the division provided institutional knowledge that allowed me to approach the issue more deeply than my academic training had prepared me for. Under their guidance, I learned about the complicated nature of using survey data and the applied technical skills required to gain useful information from it.

CBO’s internship program gave me a unique opportunity to apply the skills I’m learning in graduate school to important health policy questions. I worked with the Health Analysis Division to analyze how prescription drugs’ prices—and spending for them—change when generic competitors enter the market. My supervisors were an invaluable resource for introducing me to others at CBO and supporting my work through every step of the project.

During my time with CBO, I’ve developed a wide array of skills I know will be essential to my future professional career. I’ve valued learning the dynamics of working with a team and getting hands-on experience with meaningful projects in the human resources field. The areas that I’ve assisted the HR team with have included moving to a new information system, maintaining personnel records, performing data entry and validation, and analyzing recruitment. CBO has truly proven to be the best small agency to work for in the federal government by providing everyone, even interns, with a driven work environment that encourages all ideas to be shared and that gives ample opportunity to develop yourself professionally.