Bryan Tam is a second-year MPA/ID student at Harvard Kennedy School. Bryan was accepted into our Summer Internship program and contributed to our ongoing project examining productive diversification in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
Why did you apply to the Growth Lab Summer Internship?
I applied to the Growth Lab Summer Internship because I was drawn to the idea of working on economic development projects in a cultural and political context different from what I was familiar with. Through its project in Hermosillo (Mexico), the Growth Lab provided me with that opportunity. Coming from Malaysia, Latin America is halfway around the world and was not a cultural or political context that I frequently encountered. The topic of potential economic opportunities arising from recent trends in nearshoring and the green transition held significant interest for me as well.
What did you work on?
I worked on a diagnostic assessment to evaluate the viability of several potential economic opportunities emerging from recent trends in nearshoring and the green transition, including solar panel manufacturing, EV battery manufacturing, and semiconductor manufacturing. This involved understanding the prerequisites for a region to be competitive in these industries and assessing whether these prerequisites were present or likely to be present in Sonora.
In what ways were you challenged?
Unsurprisingly, the language barrier was one of my biggest challenges while in Mexico. The primary language in Mexico is Spanish, and having had no prior knowledge of the language, it took me time to learn some basic Spanish and conduct research on information sources, which were primarily in Spanish. I remember how reliant I was on sign language and Google Translate on my first night in Mexico—many frantic gestures and Duolingo lessons later, I am happy to say that I can navigate a restaurant and order food in Spanish (well, sort of, assuming the waiter speaks slowly and doesn’t use too many words I haven’t learned on Duolingo).
What was your most exciting/surprising experience?
My most surprising experience was discovering how friendly and hospitable Mexicans are! A special shoutout goes to my client counterpart, Fernando, who went out of his way to show me around Sonora and introduce me to his family. He truly made me feel welcome in a very foreign country and gave me a lot of advice as I traveled around Mexico. This is not to forget everyone else who also displayed the incredible hospitality that I now associate with Mexico—Manuel, Alejandro, Nitzia, and many others that I have met. Their warmth and kindness really made me appreciate Mexico so much more and enriched my overall experience.
What advice would you give to future interns?
My advice is to be open to exploring new places and having new experiences. The foreign geographies that Growth Lab interns are usually placed into hold so many cultural experiences for those not accustomed to them. Speaking from my own experience, I am very happy that I took the plunge and explored a place very different from what I was used to. Otherwise, I would never have experienced the incredible hospitality that a different culture could show me, tasted the delicious tacos and other foods (e.g., aguachile) that Mexico had to offer, or seen its breathtaking sights and sceneries.
What’s next for you?
I am still figuring out what’s next for me, but right now, I am focused on how to spend my second year well. It will be my final year at the Harvard Kennedy School, and inspired by my time in Mexico; I want to make it as fun and meaningful as possible. My experiences in Mexico have made me more open to stepping outside my comfort zone, and I may do so in my second year.