Nadezhda was a second-year undergraduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying Economics when she completed her internship.

Why did you choose to intern with the Cooper Center, Center for Survey Research?

I learned about it back in May when my internship plans got cancelled for the summer (due to Covid) and I began looking for positions open for students, especially something that would be related to my career goals and still help me pay for school.

What were some of the projects you worked on during your internship?

My primary responsibility as a telephone interviewer is to conduct interviews with respondents for projects which the CSR is hired for.

What did you learn as a result of this work experience?

As a result of working there, I've learned more about the fundamentals of data collection through surveys and ethical practices when working with human participants.

Has your experience helped you in your academic studies, given you skills you can use in a future career or helped you to think differently about your academic and/or career path? If so, how?

Even though I'm not very experienced in the field, this has been an amazing opportunity to see real work being done outside of the classroom, especially with courses related to data analysis, statistics, and the like.

What did you most enjoy about the internship?

I enjoy the flexibility of the work and the kindness of my colleagues who helped me learn the ropes in a friendly and understanding way.

Would you recommend working at the Cooper Center to future students?

I would recommend working at the CSR to other students because it gives you good insight into where we get our information from and who we consider to be trusted sources in our society, where many of our perceptions and legal decisions are made based on studies and research of the population.