Satoi Ueda recently completed an internship with the Stevens County Economic Improvement Commission (SCEIC). Here is what they had to say about the experience.
I spent a rewarding and intellectually stimulating summer with the Stevens County Economic Improvement Commission (SCEIC), exploring the field of economic development, putting my academic interests into practice, and getting to know the community through research and analysis, shadowing SCEIC’s Executive Director Cheryl Kuhn and Associate Director Ava Weber, attending the Economic Development Association of Minnesota (EDAM) conference, and participating in a variety of projects and activities.
The main project I worked on during the internship was conducting a Cost of Community Services (COCS) study for Stevens County and five cities within the county. The study examined how the revenues generated by different land-use categories compared with the costs of providing public services to them. Throughout the project, I encountered challenges that required me to step outside of what I was familiar with, whether it was determining an appropriate methodology, developing sound assumptions, working with imperfect or limited data, or finding creative approaches that required some trial and error.
Working alongside Cheryl and Ava showed me that effective economic development requires a deep knowledge of the community, strong relationships with the people and organizations within it, and the ability to navigate multifaceted problems and find solutions that strengthen the overall community. The experience also taught me how much economics is connected to everyday life. Economic development is, in many ways, about shaping people’s lives and our shared future, whether through businesses, infrastructure, housing, childcare, or many other things that influence the opportunities people can pursue and the long-term direction of the community.
This experience would not have been possible without the support of Cheryl and Ava, MNEDF, and the people who took the time to teach me, answer my questions, and challenged me to think critically.