51社区

From Undergraduate Research Scholar to Master of Public Administration (MPA) student at 51社区鈥檚 Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, Victoria Crawford has expanded her horizons from 51社区鈥檚 campus to the Washington D.C. city skyline. As the 2023 Jeffrey A. Finkle 51社区 Economic Development Intern with the , Crawford had the opportunity to delve deeper into her passion for economic development and international relations and pair the two while gaining hands-on experience.

As an undergraduate student, Crawford鈥檚 role as a Voinovich Research Scholar entailed working on economic development initiatives. It was through this work, along with her coursework for her B.A. in Political Science, Certificate in War and Peace Studies andCertificate in Wealth and Poverty, that Crawford was drawn into public service and learned about the opportunity to intern at IEDC through the help of Dr. Jason Jolley, MPA program director and professor. As she prepared to move to D.C. for a month during the summer, she looked forward to exploring the intersection of her interests in a professional setting.

鈥淚t definitely exceeded my expectations in the sense that I have been able to connect with other economic developers that come from diverse backgrounds,鈥� Crawford said. 鈥淛ust getting to meet people and hear their stories and network was really helpful.鈥�

After invaluable time spent in the nation鈥檚 capital, the remainder of Crawford鈥檚 internship was online, so she headed home to continue working on her research and writing.

Navigating a hybrid-style internship presented its challenges, however, Crawford utilized support from Jeff Finkle, the Voinovich School's Appalachian New Economy Partnership Fellow. Crawford remarked Finkle鈥檚 wealth of experience, leadership and expertise in the economic development field was monumental in assisting her as she worked to complete her internship experience, and he inspired her throughout.

鈥淚t was a challenge going from being in the office in D.C. to working from home because I think that motivation factor can be kind of hard,鈥� Crawford said. 鈥淏ut I think the way that IEDC had it structured, with having meetings with people, I didn鈥檛 feel like I was going at it alone online. I was always interacting with someone, so it felt like I was in the office still, just online.鈥�

During the span of Crawford鈥檚 internship, she was responsible for assembling large-scale research reports at a fast pace. Eager to improve her writing skills to keep up with her workload, Crawford soon learned how to be concise yet effective in her communications.

Looking back, she was thankful for the Voinovich School鈥檚 economic development team, namely Clara Bone, senior project manager, and Dr. Jolley, for the assignments they entrusted her with as a scholar, which greatly prepared her for work with IEDC.

Not only has Crawford been able to expand her research skills throughout her internship, she has had the chance to get involved in several exciting projects that align with her passion for public service.

鈥淚 worked on a few different projects,鈥� Crawford said. 鈥淥ne was the equity impact investments curriculum, which is a curriculum that will be delivered to economic development professionals looking to create partnerships with community-based organizations.鈥�

Looking to the future, Crawford hopes to return to D.C. after completing her degree. For now, she will continue to develop her leadership skills in her master鈥檚 program while she builds upon the valuable connections she has made through the Voinovich School. For incoming Voinovich scholars and students, Crawford noted these connections are what she has found to be the key to success, inside the classroom, at internships and beyond.

鈥淭alk to professors, they have a wealth of knowledge to give,鈥� Crawford said. 鈥淭hat's part of the reason why they're there, is to teach and help you get connected to other people.鈥�