Name: Rebecca Huber
Major/Year/School: Dual Master of Public Policy and MA in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies ’18, the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
Position: Research Intern
Past Jobs: Before graduate school, I worked in direct service non-profits for women’s health and re-entry support for formerly incarcerated women. Currently, I am also a Co-Founder and Policy Director of AmIStillCovered.com.
What drew you to an internship at IWPR? I regularly rely on IWPR’s research when writing papers for coursework because of the intersectional lens and rigorous use of data. As a result, they were at the top of my list to fulfill my internship requirement for my grad program. Then, I visited IWPR earlier in the year for an informational interview. Meeting the staff and hearing about their mission firsthand cemented my love for the organization.
What research areas do you focus on? Most of my research surrounds women’s economic security, caretaking, and familial roles; at IWPR, this means I work on projects such as paid family and medical leave, paid sick days, and the wage/wealth gap.
What has been the best part of interning at IWPR so far? It combines all of my favorite parts of grad school, except I only work on topics I am really passionate about. I love leaving work every day knowing that I contribute to a better world for women. I am also grateful to be treated as a member of the team – I feel comfortable speaking up and offering suggestions in meetings, which is no small feat for this INFJ.
Any advice for future IWPR interns? Taking my assignments in graduate school seriously has prepared me well for this position. Familiarity with things like Census data, statistics, economics, and fact checking has expedited many of my projects at IWPR. Also, having previous experience in an office setting has benefited me – I think showing that you are “hungry” to learn about the field is a good rule of thumb for any internship. I try to volunteer for and attend events as much as possible both in and out of IWPR, which is easy here, since we are surrounded by so many great nonprofits.
What are your future career interests? To be a Researcher at IWPR!
Favorite lunch spot? This is difficult – we are surrounded by awesome food! I have a fond spot for Sweetgreen and Little Sesame.
Favorite D.C. museum? I am relatively new to D.C., so I can’t make an informed choice here!
Favorite podcast or reading material on your commute? So many, and I can’t keep up with them. I like Why Oh Why, Dear Sugar, Strangers, Embedded, Only Human, Death, Sex, and Money, Criminal, How Did This Get Made… and many others. I wish I read more, but it’s hard, since I spend so much of my day reading and writing. I just finished Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, which was great.
What else do you like to do in your spare time? I love the Bachelor franchise. Since I work on topics that can be sobering, it’s great to de-stress with ridiculous, mindless fun. #teampeter
Stay tuned throughout the summer as we highlight other IWPR interns and learn more about IWPR’s internship program here.
