SAM HEDLUND
Washington, D.C. Columnist
My alarm goes off at 6:15 a.m. If this were Malibu, I’d hit the snooze button. But this is not Malibu, and more importantly, I don’t hit the snooze button for the assistant secretary of state. I put on my suit and tie and get on the metro by 7:20, because the secretary speaks at 8:30. I have to be at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) early to check in the crowd of diplomats, scholars, officials and lobbyists eager to hear what Roger Noriega has to say about representing the United States in the Western Hemisphere. It’s strange to think that at this time last semester, I was walking to class half-awake in shorts and a T-shirt.
In my first month here, the Washington, D.C. internship program has challenged me to break out of pure academics and apply what I’ve learned to the real world. My work with the CSIS Americas Program includes everything from database entries and research to exciting events — one day I sit in on a speech by the Ukrainian foreign minister, and another day, I am at Georgetown University helping run a roundtable of leading Mexican political thinkers. Perhaps my claim to fame so far is holding an elevator so that the president of Uruguay, his staff and his Secret Service detail could all arrive on the same floor at the same time.
My fellow students (our group has just seven individuals this year, though the program often gets 15 to 20) have had their own adventures as interns for places ranging from C-SPAN to congressional staffs to Professionals in the City, an event planning company that offers social and educational events such as dances, mixers and language classes. Washington may be best known for politics, but internships are available here in a wide range of fields.
Junior Flor Espino, who interns for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the experience helped open her mind. Fluent in Spanish, Espino helps the office track Latino news articles to respond better to that constituency.
Others work for international leaders. Junior Tamara Moore said she is happy with her position at the Argentine embassy.
“All my superiors are really knowledgeable and helpful,” Moore said. “They’re all experts in their field of work, all of which helps me understand the character and qualities a diplomat must have.”
Washington is also an exciting place for the legal profession, and Junior Sondra Grigsby said interning at D.C. prisoners’ Legal Services Project is “perfect” for her. Grigsby is on the front line helping convicts who are mistreated in prison gain better conditions or medical care. She conducts investigations, meets with prisoners’ family members and visits clients in prison.
“I get to do a lot of research with some really intelligent people,” she said. “I highly recommend it. It’s a very good introduction to the legal system.”
The D.C. program has many of the same strengths as Pepperdine’s international programs. We have all been impressed with the helpfulness and wisdom of program director Khalil Jahshan, who has worked in Washington for 25 years.
“I’ve dealt directly with hundreds of interns who worked for organizations I managed or who I have given briefings to,” Jahshan said. “I think the Seaver D.C. internship program is one of the most comprehensive and robust programs, in that students hold full-time internships and (simultaneously) pursue their full-time academic career.”
Students can take Pepperdine classes taught by adjuncts at the apartment complex or a wide range of classes at Catholic University of America. Moore said she loves CUA because of the strong academics and welcoming people, noting that she was even invited to join a campus club, Latin Alliance.
“Catholic (University of America) reminds me a lot of Pepperdine as far as the quality of education … as well as the emphasis that is placed on not only your academic growth but also your spiritual growth,” Moore said.
In addition to classes, Jahshan organizes Wednesday briefing sessions in which interns visit important government offices, think tanks and other places of interest. In one such briefing, we attended a discussion between an Israeli and a Palestinian on the withdrawal from Gaza. In another session, we listened to a job-search seminar at the Heritage Foundation. Our future plans include a visit to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
I don’t know what the rest of the semester in D.C. holds for us. I will probably be holding a few more elevators, in fact. But I do know that as much as I miss Malibu, this experience is more than worth the time spent away from campus.
And when I return, I’ll never look at an 8 a.m. class the same way again.
09-29-2005
