Coastal Carolina's Debra Buffkin Advocates for the Environment

Debra Buffkin spent her final semester at Coastal Carolina University interning online with the Northeast-Midwest Institute, an organization that jibed with Debra’s interest in the environment. Debra was one of our first recipients of our Working Student Support Award, which helps students who work to support their education.

Where did you intern, and what does your internship site do?

I interned at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. The Northeast-Midwest Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research, education, and policy organization. It is based in Washington, D.C. The mission for the institute is to promote economic vitality, along with environmental quality, and regional equity for the 18 Northeastern and Midwestern states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

What sort of work have you done at your internship? Are there any projects you are proud to have worked on?

During my internship I researched flooding and infrastructure policies in Congress. I followed the bills as they were introduced in the House or Senate and passed down to committees and subcommittees. I wrote articles on the bills and hearings for the weekly Northeast-Midwest Institute newsletter. I also coordinated social media posts for the institute. I am extremely proud that I was a part of the institute as an intern. The project that I was most proud of was writing the articles for the newsletter. I gave a voice to the actions of Congress relating to flooding and infrastructure.

What has been your favorite thing about interning this semester?

My favorite thing about interning this semester was meeting new people who are interested in environmental conservation like I am. Meeting these like-minded people and having intelligent, in depth discussions on policy making was intriguing. As the saying goes, if you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room. Every conversation I learned something new during this internship.

What will you take away from this experience?

I learned a valuable amount of information from my internship with the Northeast-Midwest Institute. That was exactly my purpose in applying to the Washington Internship Institute and subsequently to the Northeast-Midwest Institute. I have met so many wonderful people including the students and the professors. I am not your typical student. I went back to college as a single mother of two children. Not once did anyone at WII or NEMW make me feel like I did not belong there. This has been a great experience, and I feel I am better prepared for my career in environmental policy making and environmental studies.

Do you have any advice for future students in our program?

My advice for future students in the program at the Washington Internship Institute is to learn all you can. Also, to network, network, network. This is the key to opening the door to your future career. Hold your head high, never stop, and go out there and achieve those goals!