Cassidy Fish

2024 Newman Family Internship Award Recipient

My name is Cassidy Fish, and I am a Junior studying International Studies in the “Politics and Policy in the Global Economy” track. In addition, I am majoring in Economics and Human Geography with a minor in French. I have always known I wanted to study something international, and as an IS major at UW–Madison, I can explore all my interests while also gaining practical knowledge about the complicated and diverse world.

Last summer I had the wonderful opportunity to intern with Wisconsin Microfinance, a non-profit based in Madison, with a focus on using entrepreneurship to help developing economies. With this internship, I brought many skills I learned in my IS major including cultural understanding, language learning, and effective communication. In my role, I helped the organization with promotional materials to raise money for our microloan program. With this money, we give out small loans of about 100 dollars to predominantly female entrepreneurs in Haiti, The Dominican Republic, The Philippines, Ghana, and Kenya. Being able to see the difference we made in many women’s lives was so fulfilling and showed me the power of opportunity.

I am so grateful for the support and generosity of the Newman Family. With their help, I am able to pursue my passion for international development. Last semester, I had the pleasure of meeting the Newmans, and their kindness and openness to learning about the world have inspired me to not only learn about the world but actively work to make it a better place.