Public Policy Students Reflect on Their Internships: Emma Eniko Ferencz at the Higgs Field Project

Emma Eniko Ferencz, Romania
One-year MAPP candidate, Class of 2015
Intern, Higgs Field Project

Ferencz is spending this summer interning with the Higgs Field Project in Budapest. The project aims to inform professional discussions, and to contribute to building capacities of local institutions, to design and implement high quality research, and disseminate findings to inform ongoing policy design. The project, which was founded in 2012, has organized various activities. For the last three years, it has operated an art gallery (Project Space) focusing on video and installation art. It is a hub for artists and cultural professionals, and offers various business services such as a new wave café, that has been the site for business and high profile cultural events.

As an intern, Ferencz has been assisting with program evaluation. She has also authored a report for internal use, archived project documentation, created content for the website, and provided substantive advice on the future direction of the program.

“One of the most important lessons I have learned this summer,” says Ferencz, “is that working for a small organization requires excellent planning and implementation.” Although seeing the big picture is important, Ferencz says she has come to appreciate the importance of paying attention to detail. “I can also see,” she says, “that it requires exceptional leadership skills to hold a small team together and find the best ways of doing things with a series of different external collaborators.”

Ferencz says that it has been especially interesting to work on the Higgs Project at this particular moment in its history. “The project is at a critical point,” she explains. “There will soon be a comprehensive project evaluation that will lay the foundation for new strategic directions for the next few years. This experience has given me real insight into how the cultural sphere in Budapest operates, and will help me to create, strengthen, and consolidate professional relationships with artists, professionals, and academics focusing on art, culture, and policy.”