The DC internship is almost a right of passage for students aiming to get into policy work. I was that student in 1990 and was thrilled to work as an Editorial Assistant at Foreign Policy and learn from what became a string of excellent mentors. I did not fully appreciate it at the time, but that first position at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was an influential step in showing me what I did (and didn’t) want to do in the Washington policy world. It also was the start of lifelong DC friendships.

Now I am on the other side of the table so to speak, co-directing Ohio University’s National Capital Internship Program that provides a valuable scholarship to make interning on Capitol Hill a reality for our students. As I lead a first week orientation for each cohort before they take up their positions, I’m taken back to that excitement of coming to work in DC for my first post-baccalaureate job. It is easy to get cynical in DC, especially these days and especially on the Hill. But the alums of this program have demonstrated that they learn invaluable lessons on the bottom rung of the DC ladder. It is now time for those OHIO students interested in spending fall 2020 in Washington to apply (March 1st deadline). More details about the program are available at here.