I’m Helen Susman and I’m a rising Junior at Tulane. I’m majoring in International Relations and French with a minor in Russian. I have always been passionate about politics and advocating for issues I feel strongly about. I want to make a difference in politics and in people’s lives in an effective way.
I love traveling and learning about other countries. I have been lucky enough to have been raised in Poland and the United States which has allowed me the opportunity to experience other cultures in depth.
This summer I plan on interning with EMILY’s List for 10 weeks, an opportunity I’m so excited about. EMILY’s List is a political action committee in Washington D.C. that aims to help elect pro-choice Democratic female candidates to office. I have always felt strongly about social issues. In particular woman’s reproductive rights, an issue to which EMILY’s List is committed, which is why I am very excited to hopefully be interning there. The five learning objectives I hope to achieve during my time at EMILY’s List are:
- Step beyond my comfort zone and push myself in order to gain the most from this opportunity and broaden my horizons.
- Understand how to effectively activate for and make a difference towards a cause I feel passionate about.
- Achieve a deeper understanding of the policy process and how I can work from within to take advantage of opportunities provided to me.
- Manage my time properly to maintain a healthy standard of living while living on my own in a new city and preserving an excellent standard of work at my internship.
- Develop genuine relationships with the staff members at my internship in order to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible.
I hope to be able to accomplish these five learning objectives among many other goals that will allow me to gain a variety of knowledge and useful experience.
EMILY’s List inevitably identifies with NCI’s mission. Similarly to the Newcomb
College 
Institute, EMILY’s List aims to empower and cultivate leadership among woman. The goal of EMILY’s List is to inspire ad enable pro-choice Democratic woman to run for government leadership roles in society, in attempt to form leaders that fight for greater opportunities and rights of the Americans they represent. More pro-choice Democratic woman in office would drive much needed change in the United States and would propagate positive social progress. I believe that interning there will allow me to embrace both the goals of EMILY’s List and NCI. Interning for EMILY’s List I will further define and shape my knowledge of the political sphere. With this experience, I would be able to better educate woman and my peers in the future and hopefully influence more women to join the political realm.
In preparation for this internship I’ve keep keeping a close eye on everything that is occurring in the political world and doing lots of research on EMILY’s List. Furthermore, I’m not from DC so I’ve been doing a lot of work preparing my living situation and doing research on the neighborhood I’m going to be living in. Honestly, I’m super nervous about living alone in a new city but also can’t wait to be there. It will be a great way to learn more about myself and hopefully force me improve my cooking skills… And, tomorrow my Mom is taking me shopping for some business professional clothes! I’m looking forward to stepping up my professional wardrobe.
I can’t wait to meet the people I’m going to be working with at this internship. I will constantly be surrounded by strong likeminded individuals at EMILY’s List. Everyone there seems to be so accomplished and knowledgable, I can’t wait to get the chance to sit down and speak with them and learn from hearing about their experiences.
Overall, I’m so excited but also so nervous for this internship. It will be such an amazing experience, I’ll gain so much professional knowledge and living in DC will devise an amazing setting to get the inside scoop on the political world. Hopefully by my next post I’ll be settled into my job and will know my way around the city!