BY ADIGUN ATINUKE
Adigun Atinuke is a second year IDEV student who interned with Athena Infonomics during the summer of 2020.
Perspectives: Where did you intern this summer?
AA: Athena Infonomics, a data-driven global consultancy. The firm combines social science research methods and ICT tools to drive innovation in policies, processes, and programs in global development. Founded in 2010, Athena has offices in India and Washington, D.C., alongside program hubs across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Perspectives: How did you find this internship, and what was the hiring process?
AA: I found my internship through the IDEV program. The hiring process was relatively smooth. I had an interview with the HR manager and after a few weeks I was given an offer. This may be the typical hiring process at the firm, but I had also developed a close relationship with a partner at the firm who happened to be the lecturer for a development finance course I took. I reached out to him about internship opportunities prior to my application.
Perspectives: What were your primary responsibilities? Please describe the projects you worked on.
AA: I was staffed on two projects. The first involved carrying out secondary research to support an inception report. The role involved a lot of research and data gathering on the state of sanitation and sanitation financing in India. The second project was to draft a learning report on investment decision processes for sanitation utilities. This task was particularly interesting for me as I was able to carry out qualitative research such as developing interview questions and conducting fact finding interviews for the report. This helped me fill another knowledge gap relating to the investment decision processes in sanitation utilities in Kenya and Zambia.
Perspectives: Was there previous coursework or work experience that you found especially useful during the internship or the application process?
AA: Yes. My prior experience in financial advisory really helped with report writing and turning around tasks assigned to me quickly as one of the projects I worked on had a one-month deadline to turn around to the client.
Perspectives: What were some of your key takeaways from this internship for your academic and professional interests?
AA: Working virtually at Athena was an interesting experience. The sanitation financing project helped me quickly fill knowledge gaps in the water and sanitation sector given that I had no prior work experience and had not taken any courses in water or sanitation. The second project was particularly interesting for me as I was able to gain new experience in carrying out fact finding interviews for the report. This helped me fill another knowledge gap relating to the investment decision processes in sanitation utilities in Kenya and Zambia.
Perspectives: What should future SAIS students interested in this internship know?
AA: Be clear about what you want to learn and do during the internship, if possible, during the interview phase. Athena has a lot of practices you could work on.
PHOTO CREDIT: Cover photo by Ritesh Arya from Pexels, bottom photo by Adigun Atinuke.