In this essay, Andrew Waetzig reflects on a semester spent in Washington, D.C. studying at George Mason University and interning at the Association for Enterprise Opportunity

Waetzig, Andrew

English

DigitalCommons@Linfield

Linfield College DigitalCommons@Linfield Examples of Student Work Office of Competitive Scholarships 2014 Washington, D.C. through the “Live. Learn. Intern” Program Andrew Waetzig Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/competitive_work Recommended Citation Waetzig, Andrew, "Washington, D.C. through the “Live. Learn. Intern” Program" (2014). Examples of Student Work. Article. Submission 2. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/competitive_work/2 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield, with permission from the rights-holder(s). Your use of this Article must comply with the Terms of Use for material posted in DigitalCommons@Linfield, or with other stated terms (such as a Creative Commons license) indicated in the record and/or on the work itself. 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Andrew	  Waetzig	  	   Washington,	  D.C.	  through	  the	  “Live.	  Learn.	  Intern”	  Program	  	  	   My	  fall	  semester	  in	  Washington,	  D.C.	  was	  an	  invaluable	  experience.	  Studying	  at	  George	  Mason	  University,	  interning	  at	  the	  Association	  for	  Enterprise	  Opportunity,	  and	  living	  in	  our	  nation’s	  capitol	  for	  four	  months	  was	  one	  of	  my	  most	  amazing	  semesters.	  The	  Fund	  for	  American	  Studies	  planned	  many	  trips	  such	  as	  visits	  to	  Mount	  Vernon,	  a	  Nationals	  game,	  and	  a	  2-­‐day	  tour	  of	  the	  Newseum.	  Also,	  the	  program	  allowed	  us	  to	  talk	  to	  various	  people	  in	  trips	  to	  the	  World	  Bank,	  Pentagon,	  and	  State	  Department.	  Finally,	  we	  even	  went	  to	  learn	  about	  and	  see	  a	  documentary	  on	  indigenous	  Australian	  art	  at	  the	  Australian	  Embassy.	  Overall,	  studying,	  interning,	  and	  living	  in	  D.C.	  was	  an	  amazing	  experience.	  	  	   George	  Mason	  University	  is	  a	  completely	  different	  college	  experience	  than	  the	  one	  I	  had	  experienced	  through	  Linfield	  my	  freshman	  and	  sophomore	  years.	  The	  main	  campus	  is	  enormous	  compared	  to	  Linfield,	  and	  there	  were	  a	  lot	  more	  students.	  However,	  most	  of	  our	  classes	  met	  at	  the	  Arlington	  campus	  in	  Virginia,	  which	  was	  a	  lot	  closer	  to	  D.C.	  and	  made	  the	  commute	  easier.	  In	  my	  Internship	  Seminar	  Class,	  I	  learned	  a	  lot	  about	  how	  Washington,	  D.C.	  really	  works	  from	  Professor	  Karen	  Czarnecki,	  who	  has	  worked	  in	  Washington,	  D.C.	  for	  20	  years,	  including	  working	  in	  the	  White	  House	  for	  two	  Presidents.	  Her	  perspective	  on	  D.C.	  and	  how	  it	  works	  was	  unique.	  It	  provided	  me	  with	  an	  excellent	  class	  complete	  with	  numerous	  guest	  speakers	  from	  organizations	  around	  the	  D.C.	  area.	  In	  the	  second	  half	  of	  the	  Internship	  Seminar	  Class,	  Professor	  Richard	  Benedetto	  taught	  on	  journalism	  in	  D.C.	  Professor	  Benedetto	  worked	  as	  a	  White	  House	  correspondent	  for	  USA	  Today	  and	  was	  a	  reporter	  in	  D.C.	  for	  nearly	  40	  years.	  His	  lifetime	  of	  experience	  brought	  incredible	  insight	  on	  how	  the	  media	  has	  changed	  drastically	  over	  the	  years	  and	  has	  strayed	  away	  from	  its	  job	  of	  just	  letting	  the	  public	  know	  what’s	  happening	  in	  D.C.	  In	  more	  recent	  years,	  a	  lot	  of	  opinion	  has	  infiltrated	  the	  media,	  which	  cuts	  the	  actual	  reporting	  on	  the	  stories	  short,	  making	  room	  for	  more	  debate	  and	  opinion.	  In	  my	  government	  class,	  “Constitutional	  Interpretation,”	  Professor	  John	  Samples	  taught	  us	  about	  the	  different	  interpretations	  people	  take,	  making	  sure	  to	  cover	  the	  pros	  and	  cons	  of	  each.	  From	  original	  intent	  to	  Federalist	  the	  class	  covered	  a	  lot	  of	  different	  clauses	  and	  the	  controversies	  that	  arise	  through	  the	  various	  forms	  of	  interpretations.	  Professor	  Samples	  combined	  his	  unique	  personality	  with	  his	  experience	  at	  the	  CATO	  Institute,	  where	  he	  directs	  the	  “Center	  for	  Representative	  Government”	  department,	  to	  make	  for	  an	  interesting	  class.	  Finally,	  in	  the	  “Economics	  of	  Public	  Policy”	  class,	  economic	  theory	  was	  applied	  to	  controversial	  issues,	  specifically	  the	  effects	  of	  a	  national	  health	  care	  system.	  Professor	  Brian	  Blase,	  who	  works	  for	  the	  Heritage	  Foundation	  and	  examines	  the	  effects	  of	  the	  Affordable	  Care	  Act	  (ACA),	  made	  for	  an	  excellent	  class	  with	  a	  lot	  of	  expert	  analysis	  of	  the	  various	  and	  controversial	  aspects	  of	  ACA.	  Through	  the	  “Live.	  Learn.	  Intern,”	  program	  I	  had	  my	  first	  professional	  experience	  interning	  at	  the	  Association	  for	  Enterprise	  Opportunity.	  AEO	  is	  a	  non-­‐profit	  association	  that	  helps	  entrepreneurs	  and	  microbusinesses	  acquire	  funds	  and	  training.	  They	  have	  many	  initiatives,	  including	  the	  “Power	  of	  One	  in	  Three	  Report”	  which	  found	  that	  if	  just	  one	  in	  three	  of	  these	  microbusinesses	  across	  America	  would	  hire	  an	  additional	  employee,	  the	  U.S.	  would	  be	  at	  full	  employment.	  At	  my	  internship,	  I	  provided	  strategic	  and	  organizational	  support	  in	  briefing	  government	  officials	  on	  Capitol	  Hill	  regarding	  AEO’s	  Small	  Business	  Economic	  Impact	  Research.	  This	  included	  helping	  set	  up	  and	  run	  a	  briefing	  in	  the	  United	  States	  Capitol	  Building.	  During	  my	  time	  at	  AEO,	  I	  helped	  gather	  data	  on	  the	  size	  and	  effect	  that	  microbusiness	  has	  in	  each	  county	  across	  the	  United	  States	  to	  present	  to	  AEO	  members	  and	  influence	  public	  policy.	  I	  had	  the	  opportunity	  to	  help	  run	  a	  partnership	  between	  AEO	  and	  AARP	  and	  specifically	  provided	  logistical	  support	  in	  developing	  the	  content	  for,	  scheduling,	  and	  briefing	  “AARP	  Microbusiness	  50+	  meetings.”	  Finally,	  I	  analyzed	  and	  managed	  constituent	  information	  within	  database	  and	  help	  plan,	  budget,	  and	  advertise	  for	  AEO’s	  22nd	  Annual	  Conference:	  “TILT	  Forward:	  The	  Power	  of	  Microbusiness.”	  The	  schedule	  was	  busy	  but	  weekends	  were	  free	  to	  spend	  exploring	  D.C.	  My	  apartment	  was	  located	  just	  three	  blocks	  from	  the	  Capitol	  Building	  and	  perfect	  walking	  distance	  to	  the	  National	  Mall.	  Living	  in	  D.C.	  was	  incredible.	  I	  have	  never	  lived	  in	  a	  big	  city	  or	  on	  the	  east	  coast,	  so	  having	  this	  opportunity	  was	  a	  completely	  new	  experience.	  The	  Smithsonian	  Museums	  are	  all	  free,	  including	  the	  zoo,	  and	  weekends	  were	  spent	  sightseeing	  at	  museums,	  monuments,	  and	  memorials.	  The	  Fund	  for	  American	  Studies	  even	  provided	  us	  with	  a	  walking	  monument	  tour	  at	  night	  to	  learn	  more	  about	  the	  monuments	  and	  memorials	  on	  the	  National	  Mall.	  My	  family	  was	  able	  to	  visit	  and	  enjoyed	  sightseeing	  as	  well.	  I	  saw	  a	  lot	  while	  I	  was	  in	  D.C.	  and	  really	  enjoyed	  the	  World	  War	  II	  Memorial,	  Arlington	  Cemetery,	  and	  the	  Lincoln	  Memorial.	  Each	  one	  was	  incredibly	  well	  done	  and	  showed	  tremendous	  respect	  to	  our	  fallen	  soldiers,	  or	  in	  commemorating	  an	  American	  hero.	  Finally,	  living	  in	  D.C.	  for	  the	  fall	  semester	  opened	  the	  doors	  for	  other	  new	  experiences	  that	  I	  never	  could	  have	  done.	  For	  example,	  I	  was	  able	  to	  travel	  to	  New	  York	  for	  Thanksgiving	  break	  and	  see	  all	  the	  tourist	  sights	  in	  New	  York,	  even	  witnessing	  the	  Macy’s	  Thanksgiving	  Day	  Parade.	  	  	   In	  conclusion,	  the	  funds	  provided	  to	  me	  through	  Linfield	  helped	  to	  make	  my	  semester	  in	  Washington,	  D.C.	  a	  reality	  for	  me.	  Without	  them,	  I	  don’t	  think	  I	  could	  have	  taken	  a	  semester	  off	  from	  Linfield	  to	  study	  in	  Washington,	  D.C.	  and	  gain	  the	  professional	  experience	  I	  needed.	  I	  would	  highly	  recommend	  the	  “Live.	  Learn.	  Intern”	  experience	  and	  its	  various	  programs	  to	  any	  student	  that	  is	  interested	  and	  hope	  more	  will	  come	  from	  Linfield.	  The	  program	  was	  excellent	  in	  working	  with	  the	  internships	  to	  schedule	  trips	  to	  the	  various	  places	  and	  planning	  classes	  around	  a	  working	  (9-­‐5:30)	  schedule.	  It	  was	  busy,	  but	  juggling	  classes	  with	  work	  was	  manageable	  through	  this	  program.	  Finally,	  I	  want	  to	  especially	  thank	  the	  donor	  at	  Linfield	  for	  the	  support	  that	  made	  this	  amazing	  experience	  all	  possible.	  	  	  

Washington, D.C. through the “Live. Learn. Intern” Program

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Washington, D.C. through the “Live. Learn. Intern” Program

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