Despite an approaching school year at School Year Abroad (SYA) Spain, junior Elizabeth Moore could not resist her love for international affairs for long – so she took on a summer internship at City Hall.

“From an early age, I developed a love for everything international,” she said. “My mom is an international lawyer, and both my parents have always placed a great importance on international travel and experiencing different cultures.”

During June and July, Moore interned at the Mayor’s Office of International Trade and Development, which leads and manages seven different councils.

“Each of the seven councils works to promote business connections between Houston and its designated region of the world. The people involved in each council are mostly business executives, Chamber of Commerce leaders and even consuls,” she said.

Moore’s responsibilities included drafting letters and e-mails, from thank-you notes for sponsors to invitations for speakers, as well as coordinating transportation and lodging for Chinese delegations.

“A challenging part of my job was figuring out how to complete a project with vague instructions,” Moore said. “Frequently, the other interns and I would stress out about not knowing exactly what our boss wanted. I’ve had to redo certain projects multiple times because my boss wanted them completed a certain way.”

Although she did not meet the mayor, who worked in a different department of City Hall, Moore looks forwards to convening with many other business luminaries in Stavanger, Norway August 21-24.

“I will be travelling with the office to attend an energy conference with the World Energy Cities Partnership, where I’ll get to meet mayors and officials from all over the world and get firsthand experience in the energy business,” she said.

As one of the youngest interns, Moore says the most rewarding part of her experience was the friendships she made.

“Although the other interns were all in college or graduate school while I’m still in high school, we were able to connect well and become good friends,” she said.

Moore’s internship has sparked her interest in potential fields of work.

“I’ve gotten the chance to see how business connections are formed across oceans and international borders. It would be great to be a part of that some day,” said Moore.