Lincoln, Neb. —Kate Wandsnider of Lincoln, Nebraska is the 2024 recipient of the annual Steve Nelson Yeutter Institute International Trade Internship Award. The award honors Steve Nelson, a former Nebraska Farm Bureau president and longtime agriculture industry leader, and helps students gain valuable experience in the nation’s capital.
This award will provide Wandsnider with a $6,000 stipend to intern full-time with the Washington International Trade Association (WITA) this summer in Washington, D.C. WITA is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing a neutral forum for the open and robust discussion of international trade policy and related issues. She will gain valuable exposure to and experience with trade policy issues and trade leaders in business, agriculture, law, academia, non-governmental organizations, embassies and the U.S. government.
Wandsnider became interested in international trade upon learning how influential international trade is in international development during an international relations course. She is most interested in how policies impact regional development.
“I’m really just excited just to be in D.C. because that’s where all the policy is pushed out of, and through my internship, I’ll get the opportunity to network with a lot of trade and industry professionals,” said Wandsnider, a junior global studies major with minors in human rights and humanitarian affairs and Arabic studies.
During a study abroad trip to Jordan, Wandsnider learned about the impact of agriculture on the country’s economy. This got her interested in the agricultural trade sector, especially regarding how agricultural trade and policies impact a country’s ability to grow its economy.
Wandsnider will learn a variety of skills and gain insights from this internship. She hopes to dive deeper into topics such as agricultural trade and policies regarding global food security. Wandsnider wants to ensure that agriculture is a big part of international trade conversations.
After her internship, Wandsnider will host a Husker Trade Talk where she will bring in a speaker and discuss a trade topic with students. After graduation, Wandsnider plans on volunteering with the Peace Corps for two years before attending graduate school.
Gifts in honor of the Steve Nelson Yeutter Institute International Trade Internship Award may be directed to the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation. Donations can be made online at https://nefbfoundation.org/ or mailed to the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation, P.O. Box 80299 Lincoln, Neb. 68501.
The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educations, service and advocacy efforts. More than 58,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit https://www.nefb.org/.
The vision of University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumnus and renowned trade expert Clayton Yeutter, the Yeutter Institute connects academic disciplines related to law, business and agriculture in order to prepare students for leadership roles in international trade and finance, support interdisciplinary research, and increase public understanding of these issues. For more information about the Yeutter Institute, visit https://yeutter-institute.unl.edu/.
