MBA 2007 | Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development – St. Michaels, AZ – Intern, Omurhu Onokpise
Prior to coming to the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan I had already decided on the type of internship I would seek. My original thought was that I would either seek an internship that was internationally based or an opportunity that was with a small entrepreneurial firm. Respective reasons for seeking those paths include gaining an international basis and experience for my career in international economic development, and learning the intricacies it takes to develop a company from the ground up to apply the methods globally to other individuals within my interest of economic development, respectively. As the recruiting season began to arise it was tough to escape the lure of all the Fortune 100, multi-national firms seeking the best and brightest MBAs soliciting them with various carrots to attract the veritable plethora of soon-to-be executives. All though all these items and events were nice and exquisite I reminded myself of a statement from Al Cotrone, Director of Student Affairs at the Office of Career Development, “You go to graduate school to do what you want to do,” and what I wanted to do was international development. As none of the corporate internships were of the flavor I was seeking I decided to look more towards the university based partnerships, such as the Zell Lurie Institute’s Marcel Gani program, or William Davidson Institute internships. During my research of Marcel Gani internships I came across the Domestic Corps program (DC). After further research on DC I was able locate a few internships that I felt would help me reach my previously set goals. One of these internships was working with the Navajo Nation (NN) Division of Economic Development (DED). It seemed like the perfect opportunity to work “internationally” doing work in the field of my choice. Noting that the NN is a nation within and of the United States the fit seemed right. At the time I received the offer I was in Cuba with a class studying the business/economic environment of the country. After seeing what opportunities for economic expansion were available in Cuba, it did not take much thought to realize that opportunities such as the one being offered at the NNDED could be utilized extensively in the future.
Once arriving on the NN, there were some preconceived notions that I held (as all do upon arriving to a “foreign” location). These notions were clarified after the first two weeks of the internship. During this time we interns had a chance to travel across the NN, with the current DC coordinator and the DC founder, visiting a number of sites. These sites included the Window Rock, Monument Valley, Shiprock, and Mesa Verde. Then we were introduced to the DED and the work of the DED by our two summer supervisors. Even though I had an exciting time, it was much learning and much knowledge to be gain as we began to immerse ourselves into the culture. It is important to understand that learning about the people and their roots/ancestry aids in building relationships and trust for the work eventually delivered. When I tell Navajos I spoke to the World War II Navajo Code Talkers or participated in a traditional Navajo Sweat, the sincerity of our immersion becomes evident. In turn, the recommendations that I was able to give at the end of the summer did not come from an outside consultant, but from “family”. I call myself family because that’s how I felt the people embraced us.
That being said, internships can be utilized as a launching pad of knowledge that can be translated for future opportunities, and I believe I was able to acquire that knowledge here on the NN. In international development there is much work with different governments, NGOs, and consultants, and my experience has endorsed that feeling. While here I was able to work on an infrastructure analysis for two of the ten industrial parks. The goal for this assessment is to help the NN review the current status of those industrial parks and to understand what work needs to be completed upon the parks to make them most attractive to solicit industrial firms. The more attractive the industrial area, the more likely that firms will seek to do business on the NN. As more firms do business on the Nation, other industrial and service firms will be more willing to do business here on the nation also, thus creating a multiplier effect bringing increased “wealth” and jobs to the community. This research was gathered from some of the great people I was able to meet here on the Nation, as well as some international development organizations such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Millennium Development Campaign, and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. From these sources and through my work here I can affirm that my internship has prepared me for the world of international economic development and any other career paths I may seek.
Some students may wonder how this internship with a non-profit or socially/economically distressed people is different from the standard corporate internship. I say that this experience affords everything that a corporate experience does, with more room for greater responsibility. This responsibility is not just the breadth of tasks you can partake, but rather it is an opportunity to help a certain sect in society that you may not have otherwise had the opportunity to. The recommendations we made could be used to create actual jobs here on the NN, which could positively alter people’s lives. When people wonder about the money the MBA intern is giving up to take such an internship, I say it is a richer experience for me to see wealth created in a community which leads to a positive difference in a person’s current situation.
Once arriving on the NN, there were some preconceived notions that I held (as all do upon arriving to a “foreign” location). These notions were clarified after the first two weeks of the internship. During this time we interns had a chance to travel across the NN, with the current DC coordinator and the DC founder, visiting a number of sites. These sites included the Window Rock, Monument Valley, Shiprock, and Mesa Verde. Then we were introduced to the DED and the work of the DED by our two summer supervisors. Even though I had an exciting time, it was much learning and much knowledge to be gain as we began to immerse ourselves into the culture. It is important to understand that learning about the people and their roots/ancestry aids in building relationships and trust for the work eventually delivered. When I tell Navajos I spoke to the World War II Navajo Code Talkers or participated in a traditional Navajo Sweat, the sincerity of our immersion becomes evident. In turn, the recommendations that I was able to give at the end of the summer did not come from an outside consultant, but from “family”. I call myself family because that’s how I felt the people embraced us.
That being said, internships can be utilized as a launching pad of knowledge that can be translated for future opportunities, and I believe I was able to acquire that knowledge here on the NN. In international development there is much work with different governments, NGOs, and consultants, and my experience has endorsed that feeling. While here I was able to work on an infrastructure analysis for two of the ten industrial parks. The goal for this assessment is to help the NN review the current status of those industrial parks and to understand what work needs to be completed upon the parks to make them most attractive to solicit industrial firms. The more attractive the industrial area, the more likely that firms will seek to do business on the NN. As more firms do business on the Nation, other industrial and service firms will be more willing to do business here on the nation also, thus creating a multiplier effect bringing increased “wealth” and jobs to the community. This research was gathered from some of the great people I was able to meet here on the Nation, as well as some international development organizations such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Millennium Development Campaign, and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. From these sources and through my work here I can affirm that my internship has prepared me for the world of international economic development and any other career paths I may seek.
Some students may wonder how this internship with a non-profit or socially/economically distressed people is different from the standard corporate internship. I say that this experience affords everything that a corporate experience does, with more room for greater responsibility. This responsibility is not just the breadth of tasks you can partake, but rather it is an opportunity to help a certain sect in society that you may not have otherwise had the opportunity to. The recommendations we made could be used to create actual jobs here on the NN, which could positively alter people’s lives. When people wonder about the money the MBA intern is giving up to take such an internship, I say it is a richer experience for me to see wealth created in a community which leads to a positive difference in a person’s current situation.
posted by Ross BBSA at 2:37 AM
1 Comments:
hi. I'm thinking about trying to do a photography internship in the Navajo Nation or another Native American reservation in the southwest not this summer, but the following one. One of my professors knows of several fellowships he says I can get an internship through. I was just wondering if you could tell me a little more about your experience living there and anything else you could tell me. Thank you :)
Emily Rose
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