The University of Massachusetts Amherst

Olivia Laramie

Olivia Laramie talking with a student in Honduras
Pure Water for the World

Hometown: Fair Haven, Vermont     

Degree and graduation year: Master of Public Policy and Administration (May 2020)

Where I interned: Pure Water for the World, in its offices in Rutland, Vermont, and Trojes and Tegucigalpa, Honduras

What I did there: Last summer I was a research intern with Pure Water for the World. I spent most of my time with the organization at their offices in Honduras conducting research on their Menstrual Hygiene Management programs. Another intern, who was from France, and I spent a month visiting local schools, interviewing both teachers and students about their knowledge of menstrual hygiene and menstruation. I also helped with other projects, such as water filter installation, latrine construction, school uniform drop-offs and home visits.

The final half of my internship was spent back in the United States. In the Vermont office, I worked on completing my research report and helping the organization prepare for its twentieth anniversary celebration.

The most important thing I learned: I learned the importance of cultural understanding and how much ethnocentrism can hinder our thinking and abilities to help. I spent a month in a very different culture, speaking a language quite different from my native language. I spent so much time with children and families whose worldview was entirely different from my own and I was able to learn so much about another part of the world.

The most challenging part of my internship: The long days traveling on rough terrain. We left the office just about every morning either packed into pickup trucks or on motorcycles and dirt bikes. We would drive anywhere from half an hour to two hours to communities that were often on the tops of mountains. Sometimes, the trucks or bikes could no longer navigate the terrain due to harsh rains and we would continue the journey on foot. It really was so cool, though, to be able to experience a new climate and ecosystem.

What surprised me the most: How prepared I really was for this type of work. On the flight over, I was filled with imposter syndrome, thinking I did not have the right kind of experience or knowledge to be a valuable member of the Pure Water team. However, once there, I found that the knowledge I had gained from my undergraduate anthropology degree and what I had learned so far at the School of Public Policy was really pivotal and helpful during my time in Honduras and in the US office.

Why I’m studying public policy: I am studying public policy in hopes of gaining the right kind of knowledge to make changes in the policy areas I care about. I believe that working in the policy world will allow me to work from the inside to make the changes I hope will help our country as well as other countries. I am most interested in making changes to the way we treat refugees, asylees and immigrants. I am also interested in women’s rights and environmental policy.

Future plans: Next year, I hope to have secured a job working for a nonprofit that aims to help refugees, specifically women and children or working directly on US immigration policy. Within the next decade, I would like to run for and hopefully be elected to public office (ideally at the federal level).