Bethesda InternshipsBethesda: Internships in Bethesda are a minimum of 2 months and include working with borrower files, updating web site information, preparing loan documents, analyzing data and preparing impact reports on program operations, issues analysis and grant research and writing. TO APPLY: All Summer 2012 internships have now been filled. Questions?: Email wmicontact@gmail.com NewsSummer 2011 - Bethesda Interns  Top row: Dana Max, Timothy Freeman, Victoria Stevenson | Bottom row: (Cody Bear), Layne Schwab, Emily Hyson, Phoebe Sanderson, Michael Pearson
Dana Max (Bethesda, MD): Dana is a rising sophomore at Emory University and plans to major in Economics. Eventually she hopes to pursue her interest in Public Health and the Spanish language. At Emory she participates in a number of activities including the Spanish discussion group, University Chorus and yoga. Emily Hyson (Bethesda, MD) is a rising junior at Washington University in St. Louis, double majoring in Psychology and Marketing. On campus, she is a member of WUNICEF (WashU UNICEF) and Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, where she served as VP of Philanthropy this past year. Victoria M. Stevenson (Bethesda, MD, Tufts University '13): Tori is a rising junior at Tufts University. She is perusing a major in both history and philosophy. In addition to working for WMI this summer, she is coaching the Carderock Springs Swim Team. Layne Schwab (S. Burlington, Vermont): Layne is a rising junior at Colby College, where she has a double major in Government and International Studies. Layne is a varsity member of Colby's cross country and track teams, serves on the student advisory board of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement, and is a member of the Social Entrepreneurs Club. She plans to study in Brussels, Belgium next spring. Michael Pearson (Bethesda, Maryland): Michael is a rising sophomore at Case Western Reserve University, Majoring in Economics and Political Science. A member of the Pre-Law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta and Case Western Mock Trial team, he is interested in the practical effects of policy implementation. Phoebe Sanderson (McLean, VA): Phoebe is going into her second year at University of Virginia, planning on majoring in business with an international concentration. She also enjoys Spanish and is hoping to study abroad in either Spain or South America. In addition to interning at WMI, she is also lifeguarding at her neighborhood pool this summer. Timothy Freeman (Bethesda, Maryland): Tim is a rising sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis where he is studying international economics and business. In his spare time, Tim enjoys Ultimate Frisbee, playing in his school's Jazz Band and lifeguarding at his local pool.  Cindy Le is a rising senior at West Virginia University
Cindy Le (Springfield, VA): Cindy is a rising senior at West Virginia University, where she has a major in International Studies with a concentration on Diplomacy and International Security on the African continent and a minor in French. At West Virginia she is involved in activities such as Alpha Omicron Pi Women's Fraternity, the Chinese Language Club and many outdoor adventure excursions. She has spent the past semester studying and volunteering at Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and hopes to return there in the next couple years. Summer 2010 - Bethesda Interns  Top row: Laurel Rigsbee, Montana Stevenson, Valerie McDonald, Ellen Janssen Bottom row: Alex Chernow, Victoria Stevenson, (Cody Bear), Laura Esposito, Glynnis McIntyre Missing: Alex Meyer, Kelly Parshall
These fabulous college students (and two recent graduates) compiled survey data from the past year and undertook extensive statistical analysis of the information gathered. They used the SAS JMP software, graciously supplied gratis by SAS in Cary, NC. This year SAS has provided WMI with professional staff support, including a custom tailored webinar where all of the interns could view and manipulate the data. In addition, the interns updated the web site, improved WMI's photo and video files and created new media layouts, linked WMI to social media, organized foundation information, prepared grant applications and reached out to other non-profits. WMI is extremely fortunate to have hosted such a talented, productive and committed summer intern staff. We are grateful for all of their hard work. Click below to review the loan program fact books and research papers prepared by the interns and posted on the web site:
Alex Chernow (Bethesda, Maryland): Alex is a rising sophomore at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she is concentrating in Cultural Analysis and Travel Writing. Alex will be studying in Ghana during the fall semester of this year and will write about her study abroad experiences in the NYU paper. Laura Esposito (Bethesda, Maryland): Laura will be entering her senior year at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She is concentrating in International Development and studied in Madrid, Spain this past semester. Last summer, she traveled to El Salvador for a weeklong service trip and participates in NYU's Habitat for Humanity and Journal of Global Affairs. Ellen Janssen (Noordwijk, Netherlands and McLean, Virginia): Ellen will be a rising junior at the UVA, majoring in Economics. She is interested in development studies and spent this past spring semester in Pune, India. At UVA, Ellen is a member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service fraternity, the UVA ballroom dancing team, and the Cinemateque Committee, which hosts movie screenings on campus. Valerie McDonald (Herndon, Virginia): Valerie is a rising junior at the UVA, majoring in International Economics and minoring in Global Culture and Commerce. She plans to go into microfinance as a career - her favorite part of microfinance is that although it is an economic process, it addresses many other problems in developing countries indirectly. In her spare time, Valerie participates in ballroom dancing at UVA and enjoys reading and horseback riding. Glynnis McIntyre (Raleigh, North Carolina): Glynnis is a rising junior at American University in Washington, D.C., with a major in International Studies, concentration in International Development, and minor in Global Health and Development. She is the Fundraising Chair for AU's St. Jude's Up 'Til Dawn event and Vice President of Panhellenic for AU's chapter of Delta Gamma. Glynnis plans on studying abroad in Paris during the spring semester and hopes to work for an organization that provides development projects for underdeveloped countries.
 Alex Meyer
 Kelly Parshall
Laurel Rigsbee (Woodbury, Minnesota): Laurel will be a senior at Occidental College in Los Angeles this fall, majoring in Economics with a minor in Russian. Laurel has played both softball and rugby at college and she spent the fall of her junior year studying in St. Petersburg, Russia. She is interested in developmental economics and intends to pursue a career that would allow her to work internationally. Montana Stevenson (Bethesda, Maryland): Montana just graduated from UVA, with a major in History and a minor in Economics. This is her third summer interning at WMI and she likes that the WMI model provides the borrowers with the ability to control their own economic opportunities. Montana helped issue the first WMI loans in 2008 and will lead the Walt Whitman High School internship trip this summer. She'll return to Uganda in the fall to conduct a joint WMI/PostBank rural banking study and prepare transition guidelines for borrowers graduating to independent banking. She enjoys swimming and basketball, and is a coach for the Carderock Springs Swim Team. Victoria Stevenson (Bethesda, Maryland): This fall, Victoria will be a sophomore at Tufts University in Boston. She traveled to Buyobo in January 2008 to help issue the first set of loans to WMI borrowers and hopes to return this coming winter. She is also a swim coach for the Carderock Springs Swim Team, trains for the Tufts Boston Marathon Team and writes for the Tufts Daily Newspaper. Summer 2009 - Bethesda Interns
SAS, Inc. in Cary, NC provided JMP statistical software free of charge to the WMI interns. They used the software to create charts and graphs to show such information as how impoverished the loan recipients are, how many of them have someone with malaria in their families and how many are caring for AIDS orphans. Being able to depict the information through graphs and charts conveys an easily understood visual of the borrowers' living standards and the immediate impact WMI loans have on their lives. The fact books that the interns created have proven to be a valuable resource for foundations and corporations that want to support WMI and they have made a valuable contribution to the body of literature measuring the impact of access to financial services for the poor. Check out the interns' work on the WMI web site: Bryan Norris - a senior at Davidson College in North Carolina. During the summer of 2008 he interned on Capitol Hill in the offices of U.S. Representatives Sue Meryick and John M. Spratt, Jr. He arranged TV and radio interviews, attended House committee hearings and votes on the house floor, engaged in correspondence with constituents, and gave US Capitol tours. He is an Eagle Scout and organized a program to supply AIDS home-based treatment kits for 250 affected families in Malawi. Since 2008, he has tutored at Ada Jenkins Center LEARNworks and has been an editor of the Perspectives section for the Davidsonian, a campus newspaper. David Jaffe - lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland and is currently attending Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., where he is majoring in Studio Arts. David is integrating WMI's media products and revamping the WMI website. Laura Van Oudenaren - lives in Bethesda, Maryland and is a senior at Davidson College in North Carolina. She has volunteered with an after-school tutoring program called Ada Jenkins Center LEARNworks since her freshman year, and has been an editor for the Davidsonian, a campus newspaper. In the summer of 2005 and 2006 she spent time volunteering on the Three Affiliated Tribes Reservation in North Dakota through a program called Running Strong that focuses on improving living situations for Native American Youth. During the 2008 fall semester she went to Cameroon to study French and Economic Development. Alex Richardson - will be a sophomore at Oberlin College. He is working with WMI on it's statistical analysis of Borrower data. His family is relocating to Uganda this summer and he will be interning in Buyobo, in August 2009, where he will assist with automating WMI records. Elizabeth Scroggs - lives in Silver Spring, Maryland and is a junior at Tulane University in New Orleans. At Tulane she is involved in a tutoring program called Tulane Afterschool Enrichment (TAE). An educational trip to El Salvador through CRISPAZ in 2006 inspired her continued involvement in international development. She started her internship here at WMI in the June 2009. Montana M. Stevenson - lives in Bethesda, Maryland and is a senior in the Echols Scholars Program at the University of Virginia. She has participated in outreach and education programs sponsored by Heifer Project (rural Massachusetts), Running Strong (focusing on Native Americans in North Dakota), and CRIZPAZ in El Salvador. During the 2007 - 2008 academic year she served as an intern at the Women's Resource Center at UVA. She is a member of Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church. Montana traveled to Uganda and assisted with the Program Launch in January 2008. Victoria Stevenson - live in Bethesda, Maryland and is starting her Freshmen year at TUFTS University in Boston. Victoria specializes in supporting the interns in their work with WMI. Spring 2009 - Bethesda Interns Jessie McComb - is a candidate for a Master's of Tourism Administration at GWU and holds a B.A. dual degree in Art History/Physics from Hamilton College in NY. She currently is the Graduate Assistant to Dr. Hawkins in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality at GWU. From 2004 - 2008 she served in various capacities, including Services Manager, Programs & New Business, for the Artisan Market. During her tenure at the Artisan Market she: developed and implemented a market survey for heritage tourism product development in South Africa, Mozambique and Angola; coordinated logistics for training programs; developed a strategic plan for tourism related development programs; managed new business opportunities across the department; designed and managed economic development programs related to the crafts sector; wrote proposals and created budgets for government and private funding opportunities; and researched US and foreign government and private funding opportunities. Summer 2008 - Bethesda Interns Jennifer Holland - Wellesley College - '11 Daniel Van Oudenaren - Davidson College - '08 Hart W. Wood - Mary Washington University - '10 Montana M. Stevenson - The Echols Scholars Program at the University of Virginia - '10 Victoria Stevenson - Walt Whitman High-School - '09
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WMI summer interns in Bethesda, Maryland undertook a comprehensive statistical analysis project of borrowers in the WMI loan program. Utilizing the data provided by borrowers in semi-annual surveys, the interns created the first comprehensive profile of WMI borrowers and the first assessment of the impact of the loan program. Their research provided direction on where and how to expand the loan program, insight into additional services that will increase borrowers' capacity, and contributed to the limited body of original research on the impact of microfinance programs.