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Video Transcript

Speaker 1
I didn't think the FBI will take a film major as an intern. Here we are. The bureau is open to students of all walks of life in literally any area of studies. The more diverse, the skills and people, the stronger any team really is. This summer, we have Ponyo, a graduate accounting student, then EDA, an undergrad student of the same subject, Maddie, a West Point cadet with the Army, and Rachel, now attending law school. The application process to get here is highly selective, but you get a top secret clearance and an opportunity to peek behind the curtain and see the many disciplines within the bureau.

Speaker 2
I actually applied twice as internship. I applied my sophomore year of college and I heard back saying that they wanted me to have a more junior status. And so I applied again my junior year and so it was actually a lot easier the second time. I think it went a lot faster the second time I heard back faster and that was really good.

Speaker 3
The application process for me was very nerve wracking, but I was very excited throughout the whole process and I was just really hopeful and waiting for the response.

Speaker 2
Walking through the doors on the first day and I got to meet the other interns and I just got very excited. Like all the nerves kind of melted away when I got to talk with other people and this meeting everyone for the first time, I was like, Oh, it's okay. It's not as scary as I thought it was going to be.

Speaker 2
So, you know.

00:01:46:18 - 00:02:13:06
Speaker 1
I joined a group of other interns. As you can tell, I'm nontraditional for many reasons. I am not your average age for an intern, and I'm also not your average major for an intern. I'm a film major, and all they want is the right attitude and the right disposition to join the team. So if you are you a citizen, a student, and enrolled in school, seriously, consider the FBI.

Speaker 1
And just so you know, this is not your typical go make me copies and grant me a sandwich type of internship. Interns are paid respected as peers and do real work directly supporting the bureau's mission.

Speaker 2
We're definitely not just doing random tasks or other people are just kind of like, Go do this or go get me coffee or go read this paper. We're actually doing stuff that is like meaningful and we get to help other people out on their work. And it's great to see like, Oh, I just like I just finished a project this morning and it was great to see that sent off and it's like, maybe I'll become something bigger.

Speaker 2
And that's just a really great feeling, being able to help and contribute. On what everyone else on in the Bureau's working on.

Speaker 3
My first impression of forensic accountants in their work in the FBI is that they would be working on a lot more specific cases. But I realized that they were working in different units and working with more than just money laundering.

Speaker 2
Within the financial field. We look at all types of violations. So human trafficking, crimes against children, white collar, of course, terrorism, it relates and ties into all of those.

Speaker 1
Over the over the course of the summer, I was assigned several different projects with the public Affairs unit over in Kansas City. Some of them include a graphic design work at this very video that you're looking at, some photographer work and putting all assets together to form coherent pieces.

Speaker 2
It's interesting that all the different forensic accountants have their specialty, so they have different things that they're good at and they get placed on different violations and different squads and they can really get into a rhythm there and they get used to, okay, this is something that we focus more on for terrorism. Whereas like this is something we care about more in the gang world.

Speaker 1
One of the first things that we saw as interns was a presentation by the leadership team of the FBI. It was very made very clear to us that it is a higher calling the life of public service, of keeping others safe, of doing the right thing the right way. It is something that is bigger than than than all of us put together.

Speaker 1
And it is something that you have to strive for, is something that you have to want is innate. And it just being good, being returning what what the Constitution has has interested in all of us in that sense. You know, we're here to protect it. That's our goal.

Speaker 2
My family is really proud.

Speaker 3
My mom is super proud. Never did I think I was going to be in this place. I didn't know how they were going to bring me here. But it's been amazing things.

Speaker 2
When I first got the email, I was with my friends and they were all so excited and they were just like, I knew you were going to get it. Like, I'm so proud of you. And then I was like, I'm going to wait until my sister until she comes into town. And I went with my boyfriend to pick her up from the airport.

Speaker 2
And I was he was like, Guess what? And I told her that I got in and she was just so excited.

Speaker 3
And I would tell someone in the process of submitting an application to just like, just do it like, don't think that you're not good enough or that it's going to be too many applicants, like give it a try, because you never know if the FBI may take you because of certain leaders or because of your perspective in life.

Speaker 2
The advice that I would give to future applicants and people looking to apply is that don't put so much pressure on yourself. It is a really amazing internship. But I, for one, put so much pressure on myself and I was like, This is the internship and this is like everything. And when I first applied, I didn't get out of like, Oh no, like, what am I going to do?

Speaker 2
But I just, I applied again and you never know what skills you have that the FBI needs and just give it a shot and do your best on the application. And don't, don't stress too much about it because it is stressful, but it'll be fine, you know, And if you end up here, it's because you're supposed to be here and you'll figure it out.

Speaker 1
If there was aa1 short summary that I can give regarding my experience here as an intern in the FBI, it's just appreciation. I truly appreciate the hard work that goes in the office to keep my family safe. I am also Hispanic and there is a lot of work that goes out there to protect people's civil liberties, their sexual orientation, their right to free speech.

Speaker 1
There is a lot of work that goes on, song that is done within these walls that people don't see in damage as deeply appreciative for just tremendous hard work that that agents and professional staff do every single day to keep us safe.