Name: Hidsa Denice Carozzo
Hometown: Miami, FL
What is your major?
I am in the Disaster Management master’s degree track.
Where are you interning?
Florida International University (FIU), Department of Emergency Management
What is your title?
Planning Intern
How did you get your internship?
Thanks to Dulce Suarez; the Assistant Director for the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness. Given that she is the Assistant Director to the master’s degree I’m seeking, I was able to speak with her regarding internship or job opportunities and she informed me that I’d be a great fit for FIU’s internship. I was able to apply and then was asked to come for an interview with the Assistant Director for the Department of Emergency Management at FIU. I was later offered the internship and I started March 2023.
What are you doing there?
I am working on the Family Reunification Center Annex for FIU, Business Continuity Plans, tabletop exercises for the university, and assisting in the planning and exercising of community plans.
What projects did you work on?
Since beginning my internship with the Department of Emergency Management, I have worked on projects including, but not limited to: the Family Reunification Annex to the Recovery Plan for FIU, FIU Ready, and HERicane Camp.
How does your internship connect back to your coursework?
We are prepared to be able to think on our toes and in stressful situations. Our coursework consists of a lot of writing but also a lot of hands-on experience. Some days I’m planning and others I am out and about in the community making connections and being part of exercises. For example, I was taking a course that consisted on Planning Methodologies and ironically it was at the same time that I started this internship as a planner, I was able to learn from my professor what the guidelines for a successful plan are and apply them to the annex I’m working on for FIU. I have also been able to apply my planning skills at the AMSTEP planning meetings with the Coast Guard and throughout the Business Continuity Plans I have been assisting my colleagues with.
What is the coolest thing about your internship?
The coolest thing for me is the exposure you get. When I started I thought it was just going to be individuals from the university that I would be working with, but I ended up meeting people from public and private sectors. I also got to be part of trainings and exercises I could only dream of being a part of.
What have you enjoyed most about your experience?
I truly enjoyed the learning experiences I have received from being able to attend Heat Shield Full-Scale Exercise as well as the AMSTEP Planning meeting and the Full-Scale Exercise to networking here in the university and around Miami as well.
What have you learned about yourself?
That there are truly no limits and those limits that we have are just those that we put for ourselves. We are truly capable of anything in this lifetime and that once you start something you will be surprised of how far you have come.
What advice do you have for those beginning the internship process?
You do not need to know everything. You will be tasked with items you probably have only learned about in class. In my experience, the team that I work with guides you to succeed. They also give you the tools you need to accomplish the tasks they assign.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and know that you will leave an internship with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
How has the position increased your professional confidence?
I can now say that I feel more confident in at least one branch of the many branches of emergency management. I was able to dip my feet into the planning aspect and have had great mentors and experiences to guide me through the right path.
How has the internship expanded your professional network?
This internship has allowed me to not only meet professionals within the university, but I have also had the opportunity to meet individuals from FDEM, US Coast Guard, Miami-Dade County Police Department and Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue.