My Summer Internship with the American Embassy in Singapore

Kerem Tasdan, MPP Class of 2026, shares  his summer internship with the American Embassy’s Department of Commerce in Singapore. 

This summer I interned at the American Embassy in Singapore, working for the Department of Commerce through their U.S. Commercial Service. I was able to pursue this opportunity through GoGovernment’s Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations program, which connects students pursuing international affairs careers with internships at the federal level. I also couldn’t have pursued this unpaid internship opportunity without the financial support of the Harris School of Public Policy’s Career Development Office, as well as the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. During the course of the internship, I worked with commercial specialists and trade diplomats in key sectors for American companies to better enter and succeed in the Singapore business environment. This included conducting market research reports in Singapore’s key business sectors of aerospace and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), as well as sectors like travel and tourism.  The tools I acquired through Harris, in both microeconomics and data analysis, allowed me to better visualize and understand these trade flows between countries in the work I did.

This internship also provided many opportunities to attend trade shows, single-company promotions, and business roundtables where policymakers could discuss and advocate for pressing trade issues. I took on Embassy-wide tasks such as drafting memos, public remarks, and meeting minutes—I even had the opportunity to write speeches for the Chargé d'Affaires [head diplomat], Graham Mayer. 

Along with other interns from around the world, I also staffed and helped coordinate events such as the Fourth of July celebration and visitations from university groups. I even got to engage in some public speaking myself as a member of the public diplomacy team, and I had the opportunity to visit a Singaporean high school to share what pursuing higher education in the U.S. looks like.

My time in Singapore may have only lasted 12 weeks, but the lessons learned were unquantifiable. The American Foreign Service Officers and local staff provided me with many opportunities to grow and learn, not only in trade policy, but in all aspects of diplomacy and public service. Each member of our team had key sector insights that they brought to the table, and members of the Embassy came from distinct backgrounds.

Through the connections and experiences I gained from this internship, I hope to continue my journey in public service, and perhaps even the American Foreign Service itself.