Professional Gains in D.C.

Since my time in D.C. is going WAY too quickly for me, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all of the professional and educational activities and meetings I’ve had the opportunity to take part in thus far. All of the items listed below have been not only educational and related to building a professional life, but have been very enjoyable and exciting too!

  1. Completed informational interviews with two retired ambassadors to learn about careers in foreign policy and international development.
  2. Met with both of Wisconsin’s senators, Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson as part of a class outing.
  3. Met with many people from my work to learn about entry level positions in immigration law and get advice about grad school programs.
  4. Attended policy events at the CATO Institute, The Atlantic Council, the Center for Strategic International Studies and the Brookings Institution (all think tanks).
  5. Listened to more than 10 experts in international affairs share their regional expertise in our Current Issues in U.S. Foreign Policy Class.
  6. Visited the Google Office in D.C. and got a tour from a former UW-Madison student.
  7. Visited National Public Radio headquarters and met with several UW-Madison Alumni who work there now.
  8. Visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of the American Indian, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Natural History, National Postal Museum, Library of Congress, & the Newseum .
  9. Helped formerly detained clients from Central America at my internship access community resources, including providing Spanish interpretation at medical appointments.
  10. Introduced myself to a stranger at a policy event, who works for an international development organization that I hadn’t heard of before. Now, I am very excited to be applying for my first post-graduate job at the organization the person introduced me to!
  11. Visited the Capitol and got to spend a hot second on the speaker’s balcony! (Pictured below)
  12. Learned (still learning) about many different parts of the immigration system and immigration law and different visa types for children.