Meet the CPB Intern: Maaz Abbasi

It’s 9 a.m., time to start the workday. CPB’s summer intern has had his black coffee, caught up on the latest headlines, and now making a list of what he needs to do for the day. Although Maaz A. ’s days vary a lot depending on the work his team is doing, he says, “For the nitty gritty work of analyzing data, I have to be fully awake—each detail needs my attention!”

Introduce yourself. What is your background??

My name is Maaz Abbasi, and I’m an intern at CPB for the Educational Media and Learning Experiences department. I’m a native of Loudoun County, Virginia, having grown up here. I’m a recent graduate from the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University , where I majored in Political Science and minored in Data Analysis. I was active in campus initiatives for higher education accessibility for refugee students.

For the nitty gritty work of analyzing data, I have to be fully awake—each detail needs my attention!

What do you do as a CPB intern?

I joined CPB just as the Education Department was preparing to field a national survey of all public television stations. The survey asked about stations’ education priorities, audiences, partnerships, innovations, staff capacity, learning needs, and metrics of success. I worked on almost every aspect of it, from establishing a complete and accurate contact list of survey respondents, to programming the survey and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data. The results of this survey are important in getting a rich, current picture of stations’ education and learning work across the public media system.

Is the public media system what you expected it to be?

Prior to my internship, I didn’t know much about public media, but I was influenced by it a lot, especially in my childhood through PBS KIDS. However, interning at CPB has exposed to me the local initiatives stations are doing across the country. Stations are doing amazing things in the name of education outreach, including telling stories about the people who live in the region, showing off the diverse cultures across the country, as well as local education initiatives conducted by stations.

What has been a memorable moment at CPB?

On my very first day at CPB, I was tasked with exploring features of various survey software and recommending one to the team. Being responsible for the backbone of the project seemed daunting. I conducted different test surveys and presented my findings the next day to the team. Surprisingly, no one found any issues with my findings or recommendations. I guess I made a good impression. It was then that I gained a lot more confidence to make decisions without doubting myself.

What program do you recommend Gen Z or the general public tune into?

In the age of 24-7 news and media, Gen Z has been at the forefront of tackling and facing the issues of misinformation and disinformation. PBS’s FRONTLINE has created programming that not only engages news and stories in an unbiased way, but also provides different perspectives and detailed reporting on historical events. Additionally, FRONTLINE’s display of primary resource information woven in with powerful narratives creates an intense story of American history.

How has this internship helped you with your career goals??

As someone who wants to do in-depth research, learning about research design, especially with surveys, has honed my analytical skills. I have also developed more effective communication skills in terms of presenting data to diverse audiences who might not know every aspect of it.

What are your plans after the internship??

After my internship, I hope to continue to assist in research in any capacity possible. More specifically, I plan to continue my studies by starting a PhD so I can not only apply the skills I learned here, but continue to develop my skills as a proper scholar.

Finally, if someone had to get to know you only through public media programs, which programs would they be??

Two programs that represent me as a person are the PBS KIDS shows “Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman” and “Postcards from Buster,” a spinoff of “Arthur.” Fetch! because I’m always trying to solve challenges whether academic or workwise, and Postcards because I’m always trying to discover new places and travel and interact with different cultures.

About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit?www.cpb.org?and follow us on?Facebook,?LinkedIn, and?subscribe?for email updates.