CSUEB students gain export experience with Dept of Commerce internships

• November 1, 2010 5:30am

Just as Cal State East Bay senior David Whiteneck completes his internship with the Oakland office of the U.S. Department of Commerce, two more CSUEB students will begin theirs.

Isela Cazarez and Khanh Tran start internships with the U.S. Commercial Service on Nov. 1.

An agency of the Department of Commerce, the Commercial Service offers students an understanding of international trade. Export market research, trade counseling, trade documentation, industry and country regulations, as well as shipping and pricing and export financing are all skills the internship brings focus to.

Ro Khanna, deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Foreign and Commercial Service, expressed enthusiasm about Cal State East Bay participation in the internship program and praised Whiteneck’s success as the first CSUEB intern at the Oakland office.

“CSUEB has been a valuable partner with our Oakland Export Assistance Center hosting trade promotion events and assisting with missions including foreign dignitaries,” Khanna said in a statement.

During the internship, Whiteneck, a corporate finance hopeful whose last day as an intern was Oct. 22, learned to assist U.S. companies who are interested in exporting their products to other countries.

“(I’ve had) the opportunity to network with a lot of local companies,” said Whiteneck about the internship. “It was a positive experience.” 

For six months, students in the internship program concentrate on marketing and research. Managing the Web site, updating the client database and researching client information are some of the basic duties interns perform. As part of the staff, interns also visit trade shows in San Jose and San Francisco, representing the Department of Commerce. Upon successful completion of the internship, the student is awarded with a certificate of training and a letter of recommendation.

“The whole experience is new to me, and I’m enthusiastic about learning from it,” said Tran, a senior pursuing a master’s degree in recreational management. “Instead of dreaming of going places, I’m in the process of accomplishing that dream.”

EB