Andres Ramirez '14 interned at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, DC during the winter of 2013. As a policy intern, his main responsibilities included researching climate and disaster reports to assist in drafting congressional recommendations for Hurricane Sandy relief. He also participated in weekly policy meetings, tracked new policy within the agency, and analyzed a Department of Homeland Security pilot program. The internship allowed Andres to combine his interests in government and environmental studies by examining how climate change may impact future disasters. He gained valuable insights into the federal government and felt the experience strengthened his analytical and writing abilities.

1. Andres Ramirez ’14 is originally from Cali, Colombia, but
currently resides in Houston, TX. He attended Cypress Falls
High School and was an AP Scholar with Distinction, a varsity
cross-country runner, served as Key Club president, and was a
peer advisor for at-risk and mentally disabled children. At
Dartmouth, Andres is pursuing a Government and
Environmental Studies double major. He is a Rees-Jones
endowed scholar, carries out programming for Class Council
and La Alianza, is the Director of Speaker Outreach for Ivy
Council, and serves as Green Key Society President.
Additionally, he works as a researcher in the Policy Research Shop, a Program Student Assistant
at the Rockefeller Center, and a former representative on the Undergraduate Finance
Committee. His freshman summer, he interned for the Foundation for Biomedical Research in
Washington, DC and spent his sophomore winter studying French in Toulouse, France. Andres
plans to go to law school after graduating and pursue a career in politics.
Andres was funded by the Rockefeller Center for a Winter 2013 internship, with generous
support from the Mr. E. John Rosenwald Jr. ’52 Public Affairs Internship Fund.
Executive Summary from Andres’ final report:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the Federal Government's leading
agency in responding to and recovering from many of the Nation's greatest moments of crisis.
FEMA ensures that as a nation, we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability
to prepare for, protect against, respond to,
recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Within
the Office of Policy & Program Analysis, we lead
Agency policy, strategy, and innovation as well
as provide objective analysis and performance
integration. OPPA hopes to serve as a catalyst
for shaping FEMA and strengthening its ability
to fulfill its mission by becoming a more agile,
results oriented organization.
“I want to thank you and the Rockefeller
Center for an amazing and life-changing
off term experience. I have rediscovered
myself with a new sense of passion in my
work and my goals.”
[MR. E. JOHN ROSENWALD JR. ’52 PUBLIC AFFAIRS FUND INTERN PROFILE]

2. As the policy intern, my main project involved assisting senior policy advisors in drafting
Congressional recommendations for Hurricane Sandy after-action relief. My main
responsibilities included researching existing climate and disaster reports beneficial for the
draft, maintaining communication and organization within the team, and writing and editing
portions of the recommendation. I additionally participated in weekly policy meetings, kept up
to date with incoming policy from within the agency, and participated in the analysis of a new
Department of Homeland Security pilot program.
While at FEMA, I was able to effectively combine my two educational concentrations in
Government and Environmental Studies, as I researched how climate change may affect future
disasters and the Department of Homeland Security’s future role in this regard. I came out with
a better sense of how the federal government worked including office culture, work ethic, and
government writing styles. Coming back to Dartmouth, I feel that I came out as a stronger
analytical thinker and detailed writer and will apply this to my coursework in the spring. I also
found this experience as a time of reflection, ready to dive right back to Dartmouth with a
newfound confidence towards my academic endeavors.
As a policy intern within FEMA’s Office of Policy and Program Analysis, my most rewarding
experiences included drafting congressional recommendations with my project supervisor
Andrew Slaten, participating in the new Department of Homeland Security pilot program, and
partaking in Monday’s policy working lunch meetings. Each experience demonstrated a
different facet of the agency that mirrors the federal government as a whole:
recommendations and publications, analysis and program implementation, and collaboration.
Andres Ramirez ‘14 in front of the U.S. Capitol during his internship at FEMA in Washington, DC.