We are back with our last #StudentExperience post of the semester. Mackenzie is a junior studying political science and economics at Towson University, where she also interns at the Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI). Each week she works to provide research and data collection to support the RESI team and their projects. Mackenzie’s favorite task so far has been conducting research for a project with the Maryland Department of the Environment. “I have learned a lot about energy conservation and emissions reductions, two things that I really had no prior information about. I love to research something that is totally new to me and teach myself about the topic and the policies and programs that relate to it along the way,” said Mackenzie.

#studentexperience

During her time at RESI, Mackenzie has learned to read documents more efficiently in order to pull out relevant information as quickly as possible. “I have also learned a lot about various functions in Excel that have helped me to prepare my research for some of the Senior Economists at RESI.”

Mackenzie’s advice for other students looking to gain real-world experience in their area of study? Think of every interaction you have as a networking opportunity. I learned about this internship through playing golf with Dr. Irani at my team’s fundraising event last spring. You never know what kind of connections you can make so it’s important to always be positive and open-minded.

After graduation, Mackenzie would like to pursue a master’s degree in foreign policy.

FUN STUFF ABOUT Mackenzie

  • What are two apps you can’t live without? The Weather App (although it’s always wrong) and Shot by Shot, an app that tracks my golf statistics!
  • If your life was a movie, what would the theme song be? Sunday Morning by Maroon 5
  • What would your superhero power be? My power would be to be able to fly anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. I love to travel and have family and friends that live in different countries across the world, and I would love to be able to visit them anytime I wanted.
  • What is a fun fact most people don’t know about you? I am Canadian, but when I was 14 I moved to Australia! I lived there for four years before being recruited to play for the women’s golf team at Towson University.