Greetings, everyone!
*cue Sinatra*
My name is Christy, and I am a double major in Political Science and Gender and Sexuality Studies with a minor in History. I’m preparing to begin an internship at the Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMW) based in Washington, DC. NEMW is a nonpartisan policy research shop that focuses on environmental issues, but they touch on a pretty extensive variety of topics. I’m one of three interns for the summer, and my focus area is policy. Each intern has a focus area like policy, social media, or development.
I’m really excited for this opportunity. I’ve been in touch with my supervisor over phone and email, and we’ve identified several specific skills for me to gain over the summer. NCI has been really helpful in making sure we communicate early on with our internships about what we want to gain from the experience. The things I’m focusing on are: writing/analysis/research skills, federal policy processes, and environmental/transportation policy. If you’ve met me before, I’ve probably given you a lecture about accessibility and transportation. I’m really excited to learn more about transportation policy on a federal level. Having the opportunity to physically change my location has always had a profound impact on me. There are so many opportunities for growth in a new city or a new neighborhood.
Before getting this internship, I attended a PLEN (Public Leadership Education Network) seminar on Women in Congress. By the way, if you have the opportunity, you should definitely check out a PLEN seminar! NCI has funding available in many cases, and it is really a wonderful experience for college women. The seminar got me really fired up to get involved in public policy in DC. I think it’s really empowering to know that I am making a difference just by being there. Women are underrepresented in government, and we need to change that.
This internship really focuses on some of the bigger picture issues that affect women. Everyone needs safe drinking water and adequate transportation. Everyone includes women, but I think it’s easy to forget that some of these basic issues affect women just as surely as pay inequity or harassment.
Thanks for reading! I look forward to this experience. I hope you’ll keep up with my journey!