Sam Moore

Year Graduated: 2022

Area of Emphasis: Development in Fragile Contexts

Most Recent Role: Business Development and Communications Intern with Marine Institute of Newfoundland through the Government of Canada

What would an average day in your current role look like?

“It really depends on the day. Working with people from around the world made for pretty flexible working days, most days would start at 9 and work until 4 or 5; however, it depended on what was scheduled for the day. Working virtually, teams meetings were what I scheduled everything else around. Some days would be packed with meetings which didn’t leave much time for other work. The days with fewer or no meetings is when I would focus on the work assigned. What I worked on also depended on what needed to be done that I could help out with. Although my position was titled business development and communications, I definitely was more on the communications side of things. I worked directly with their communications officer creating content to post on social media, as well as developing a podcast for the organization. On top of that, as this position was only three months long, I sat in on majority of meetings throughout the different departments to gain a good understanding of how an international organization operates. This was a great opportunity to get hands-on experience within the development realm as my undergrad was throughout the COVID-19 pandemic when that wasn’t available.” 

How did your perspective on international development change throughout the program?

“I would say I didn’t have much of a perspective on international development prior to university. I started my undergrad with an undeclared major as I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had applied for the arts and science program initially, but in the first week sitting in a science lecture I knew it was not for me. From there I switched to a Bachelor of Arts degree and took a range of first-year classes to see what I was interested in. IDEV*1000 is what made me realize my interest in international development and I moved into that program for second year. After three years of studying, I now have an educated perspective on the concept. I would say I have a realist view of international development as I understand why some countries are considered underdeveloped and the external forces that contribute to that. In a world that is so interconnected, learning about the state of other countries around the world is important. It is very eye opening to learn of paths to development and why some countries struggle to achieve that.”