Fifteen weeks in Washington, D.C., during election season seemed like a dream come true to me when I heard about The Washington Center back in October.
Who wouldn’t want to intern in Washington and take a break from Tennessee? That’s what I was thinking, but what I did not realize was that this would be a life-changing experience.
I arrived wide-eyed at my apartment in Bethesda, Md., on Jan. 24. I was anything but scared.
I was ready to conquer Washington and have a blast. My new apartment was huge and my roommates were awesome. I thought this semester would be a piece of cake.
My internship is at Tribune Broadcast, which has been pretty exciting so far. I went to the Capitol to get my media pass and while on the escalator, I heard a lady yell “Senator Kerry.”
I turned around to see the senator right behind me and watched him walk right past me. The only way I can describe that moment is to say that he is very tall.
My boss at Tribune Broadcasting, Cissy Baker, likes to quiz interns about different media and political facts all the time. Her father was a senator for Tennessee and she comes from a long line of politicians.
I had the opportunity to attend a black tie dinner by the National Press Foundation, in February.
Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was at the dinner – afterward his band played for all the guests. It was an amazing event.
A requirement of The Washington Center is for students to participate in volunteer service while in D.C. I volunteered at Vinson Hall Retirement Center for veterans.
The director is former Redskins player, Phil Dubois. The veteran I worked with was Major Chewning, who served in WWII, the Korean War and on John F. Kennedy’s cabinet. The stories he told me were amazing.
Along with my internship and volunteer opportunities, The Washington Center provides various programming of interest to its students.
My program went to The Washington Post for an unforgettable tour. Twelve people tried to fit into a tiny elevator. We felt the elevator drop down before going up. Then it stopped, and the doors never opened.
We were stuck in the elevator for about 10 minutes before the lights went out. The engineers had to pry open the doors and all 12 of us had to literally climb out of the elevator.
We also take a class during the semester. My class went to the National Press Club and watched The Kalb Report. CNN international chief correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, was the guest on the show.
Hearing her speak was pretty awesome. The stories she told were both intriguing and motivational.
There is so much I have done – it would take weeks to write about it all. I could write about my metro trips, my first cab rides, my visits to the Capitol and Voice of America, etc.
I still have a lot I want to do in the next six weeks. I am going to a Washington Nationals baseball game, on a tour at the Pentagon and attending a White House Briefing. These are just a few of the things I am looking forward to before I leave.
I would recommend The Washington Center to any student who wants to learn and experience a lot. This is a wonderful opportunity, and a great change from regular classes at ETSU.

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