I have been in Washington D.C. for 6 weeks now and I cannot believe the immense amount of opportunities I have had while here through the program I am with, The Fund for American Studies (TFAS), personal connections and of course, through CER. TFAS is an organization that gives students from around the world the opportunity to take classes and intern in either Washington D.C. or one of their two global locations. Due to my acceptance to TFAS, my application was sent to CER, and after an interview, I was accepted into their internship program. Throughout my summer with TFAS I have been able to hear from the minds of a variety of great academics along with visits to a few historic sites such as Mt. Vernon and the State Department.
While in D.C. I was also able to advance my own ideas through personal connections. The Can Kicks Back campaign is the student version of the Fix the Debt campaign and was brought to my school last semester by a friend of mine. After hearing about this campaign I came up with the idea to hold a massive concert at my school with a few speakers to make the issue of the debt relatable to college students and have student bands performing at the concert. Our goal is to get as many people as possible involved on campus in this event, which has been titled Live Debt. The student that brought the Can Kicks Back campaign to my school and introduced me to the campaign connected me with one of the people in charge. This person loved my idea so much that he asked me to present it the following day at a conference/ meeting for the organization. The fact that someone thought my idea was good enough to present to a large, important group is amazing. I would have never thought that while I was in D.C. this summer I would be able to do that.
Last but not least is the variety of opportunities that have been granted to me by CER. Within my first two weeks as an intern at CER I was able to go to the Hill and attend a meeting of the Education and Workforce Committee in the House — this was a once in a lifetime experience. The meeting I attended was on H.R. 5, aka the Student Success Act. Hearing what the individual representatives thought about the bill was extremely interesting. Probably the most exciting part about this opportunity was watching the bill afterwards. While I was there H.R.5 passed the House Committee. Recently, the bill passed the House and will move on to the Senate. I am able to say that I have been watching the bill since it left the committee.
Another great opportunity I have gotten at CER is the ability to work on a variety of different levels at a nonprofit. During my time here I have worked in the research department, the development department and the department of external affairs. Being able to work in all of these departments, I have gained a broader understanding of the inner-workings of a nonprofit. Not only that but I now have a better respect for what nonprofits do in general and all the hard work that goes into making them successful.
Due to all of these opportunities and many more I have been able to gain a better understand of my own views and goals in life.