Aamer Uddin is an intern at the Office of Public Engagement, Office of the Secretary. In this intern spotlight, he shares about his experience working as a summer intern for the Department of Commerce. This is part four of the seven-part series.

Can you share a little bit about yourself and why you chose the U.S. Department of Commerce for your internship?

My name is Aamer Uddin, and I was born in Detroit, MI, but I call many places home, such as Kansas City, Boston, and New Hampshire. I recently graduated from the University of Kansas, where I was heavily involved in supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems and organizing. There, I engaged in many projects ranging from creating a modular recycling kiosk to publishing research on speech communication patterns of S&P 500 CEOs. I chose to intern for the U.S. Department of Commerce because it occupies the perfect intersection between business and public policy. This summer, I endeavored to find my niche within public service. The DOC has been instrumental in helping me realize how to pursue policies that better align economic and racial justice.

What have you been working on during your internship?

I work in the Office of Public Engagement, where I've had the privilege of creating the founding documents for the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, reaching out to more than 500 stakeholders for supply chain resiliency events, and spearheading a weekly memo for the White House. Alongside my excellent team at OPE- Esther Dominguez and Ben Levy- I've engaged in a multitude of activities, from escorting VIPs at SelectUSA to supporting NTIA's Tribal Outreach group by phone banking grant opportunities to indigenous communities. Overall, my experiences are varied and unique, which delivered invaluable insight into the executive branch and the atomized functions of the DOC. 

What have you learned during this internship that you can apply in the future?

I've learned that the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution. My internship at the U.S. Department of Commerce will help me inform future programs and policies on the necessity of reaching communities on the margins. I've developed a broad skillset to meet the American people's diverse needs, ranging from back-of-envelope calculations, consolidating massive amounts of data, liaising with varying stakeholders, and above all, developing an unyielding dedication to public service.