Allison Everhardt worked as a summer intern in Vanderbilt's Office of Federal Relations in Washington, D.C.

by Allison Everhardt

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Wall Street Journal article this past May divided internships into three categories: “a great way to accomplish only those tasks that no one has the guts to ask a full-timer to do; a way to buck up the full-timers by providing them with summer playthings; or cheap labor without the back talk.” With less than a month until I took my first steps into the “adult world” of my new internship at the Vanderbilt Office of Federal Relations in Washington, D.C., a slight dread began to taint my excitement. “Well,” I thought, “at least the city will make up for it – hopefully.”

Now, two months later, I can see that article was meant for someone else. After  a week, I was already agreeing – gasp – with my mother: Every college student should spend a summer in D.C. With its rich and distinctive history, prestigious and powerful reputation, and an extra shot of youthful ambition and egoism, each summer our nation’s capital turns into a playground for many of its future leaders. Feeling the presence of Lincoln from across the great mall makes each copy made and each list alphabetized seem so much more significant than it would have if done back home.

Generally what comes to mind when one thinks of a summer internship in Washington are the notorious Capitol Hill interns, giving tours to wide-eyed tourist-constituents. My internship is quite different. After expecting mind-numbing days of windowless office work, the flexibility and intellectual engagement afforded me on a daily basis comes as a welcome surprise. Mixing with those infamous Hill interns every once in a while isn’t so bad either, but being slightly removed from the bustle of the Hill has its benefits.

My favorite part of my internship is the opportunity to go to hearings on Capitol Hill. Not only is there the occasional “celebrity” sighting, but each hearing has left me with a renewed faith in our government and an overwhelming desire to know more. My favorite was a space and aeronautics subcommittee hearing where, for the first time ever, one of the witnesses (an astronaut) was actually testifying on live television from the International Space Station. While it was just another day at the office for many of the people in attendance, it will be one of the many lasting memories I will take back to Vanderbilt with me when my time here is over. I like to compare that hearing to the way I perceive Washington as a whole: a mix of lawmakers, other professionals, media and interns experiencing and creating together, through their different roles, the country that the rest of the nation won’t find out about until tomorrow’s front page.
 
Not every day is exciting or interesting and may even be painfully monotonous, but simply the experience of living and working in one of the most important cities in the world makes all those not-so-memorable days worth it, no matter what type of internship one has while in D.C. I don’t think I could ever get tired of riding past the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument on the Metro every morning. Being in the one city so connected to the country’s birth yet also at the brink of its future infuses me with a kind of energy I have never felt before.
 
Passing the crowded outdoor cafés after work, wading through an overflowing Georgetown street on Saturday night, or watching a young family play catch on the mall during a lazy Sunday afternoon constantly reinforces the sense of just how young the heart of this city really is.

Before coming here, people told me that what makes D.C. so unique is that of all the international cities in the country, it is the one almost completely run by under-30-year-olds. I have come to realize that, while that statement may not be entirely true, the ambition, youth, drive and even arrogant energy personified in so many young professionals is exceptionally strong here. I guess it takes that kind of self-assured passion to work in a city charged with being both a symbol of the past and a beacon of the future all at once.

As my summer in D.C. comes to a close, I find myself scrambling to take advantage of all the local adventures I have yet to discover. One thing is for certain: For me, like for so many others, one summer in D.C. is not enough. Despite the long commutes, crowded tourist attractions and long, unpaid workdays, the most lasting impression I will take with me is that our great experiment in democracy is working. It is easy to dwell on our society’s shortcomings, but it takes a summer living in and really experiencing the focal point of our democracy to fully understand that we as a country are still very much a work in progress. To witness this on such a close-up and substantial level is the real reason everyone should spend a summer in D.C.
 
Allison Everhardt is a rising junior from Greensboro, N.C., majoring in political science and Spanish. She is one of 14 participants in the new VIEW (Vanderbilt Internship Experience in Washington) program administered by the Office of Active Citizenship and Service.

Posted 07/24/05