New York Peace Institute’s Post

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern with the M/WBE Capacity Building & Corporate Partnerships Unit at the NYC Department of Small Business Services (NYC SBS). Over the course of six weeks, I learned about the City’s Minority and/or Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Program and the support services provided to help small business owners secure contracts with City agencies. During my internship, I was responsible for reaching out to over 700 SBS Program alumni to ensure their public business profiles accurately reflected their most recent contracts and services. Additionally, I was able to virtually meet with over 50 small business owners, providing individualized feedback to enhance their profiles and increase their chances of securing city contracts. I also assisted with improving program impact metric analysis through various feedback surveys. This experience offered me valuable insights regarding office culture, and the process of doing business with the city, and helped me plan my future goals in both engineering and business industries. I would like to extend my appreciation to my supervisor, Ophelia G., the Executive Director of the M/WBE Capacity Building & Corporate Partnerships, and all the Program Managers--Marilu, Tenzin, and Ana--who warmly welcomed me to the team and gave me precious guidance. Your willingness and enthusiasm to extend your help, knowledge, and encouragement have definitely made this experience very enjoyable and enriching.   I am also incredibly thankful to the New York Peace Institute for equipping me with essential workplace mediation and conflict resolution skills. I am confident that these skills will serve as valuable lessons in both the near and far future. Lastly, I want to thank all of my fellow intern friends that I made along the way. Working with such a diverse and inspirational group of individuals made these six weeks truly very special. This experience would not have been the same without you all! Thank you for giving me this opportunity to grow as a student, employee, and person. #LaddersforLeaders #SBS4NYC #NYC #intern