Throw a dart at a map and go to it. In my case, my dart was nailed into the map as soon as I visited Washington DC for the first time in seventh grade. I immediately knew I wanted to live here in some capacity. When I learned Roger Williams University offered a study away program where I could live, learn, and work in Washington, DC for an entire semester, it instantly became a college bucket list item.
Now, as a second semester junior, I am finally here and I could not be happier.
Everytime I walk to work, it feels surreal to have the Washington Monument and the Capitol building in the distance and have it be normal.
I am participating in the Washington Internship Institute (WII) program where I take classes once a week and intern the other four days; all while earning a full semester of RWU academic credit.
With the help of WII staff, I was able to secure an internship as an intern in the House of Representatives. My days are filled with writing, research, phone calls, and learning the nitty gritty of how the government works. I have also had the opportunity to take tours of the U.S. Capitol building as well as guide tours for constituents.
In my experiences, I have found experiential learning to be even more valuable than traditional classroom learning. Now do not get me wrong, classroom learning is extremely important and experiential learning is built on classroom learning. However, I have been able to apply all of the various legal and political theories I have learned to real life situations.
Pro tip: The next time you are writing a memo for a writing class, questioning why you are doing it, make sure you pay attention to formatting because it is a daily workplace task for an intern.
Also, since beginning my study away, I have been able to meet so many more people and be able to grow my network personally and professionally. Personally, I have been able to connect with the other students from around the country and create lasting connections. Professionally, I have learned the importance of building relationships and networking with professionals in your field because they can help to give you professional advice and help you to determine what you want to do.
Two other RWU students are also participating in the WII program; Rachel Perkins is a junior political science and history major, interning at The Men’s Health Network; and junior international relations major, Leo Giardi, who is interning at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq.
Giardi has gotten the chance to work with, “…truly amazing and talented people.” Giardi also said that he has been able to develop better research, writing and communication skills while also sometimes combating the obstacle of a language barrier.
“I am most thankful for what I have done outside of my internship,” said Giardi. “Being able to explore all DC has to offer with my new friends has been my favorite part of the whole semester.”
Rachel Perkins, is gaining experience and knowledge through her internship at the Men’s Health Network.
Although Perkins has always been interested in women’s health, she said she has learned so much about the complexities of men’s health and sees her internship as a, “…great learning opportunity.”
“I wanted to come to DC to be in a different environment and figure out if I could see myself living here in the future,” said Perkins. “This experience has helped me develop a lot of professional skills that I would not have been able to do in a traditional classroom.”
Overall, studying abroad is an experience that is unparalleled to anything I have ever experienced. Getting to know so many new people from different places while also becoming friends with other RWU students who I have seen in class is one of the best feelings.
