Program places interns in nation's capital

IU juniors and seniors will soon begin interviewing for one of 30 intern positions in Washington, D.C. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs Washington Leadership Program will send selected students to the nation's capital for the fall semester. \nWorking as unpaid interns, selected students will spend four days of each week working on different assignments during their internships, said associate program director Ray Clere. Students also spend two days working in a classroom environment. They will take classes taught by SPEA faculty in D.C. and attend talks given by leading officials in different local organizations. The class work is meant to supplement the internships, and bring everything together. \n"The classes are very much applied learning ... meant to compliment what they do in their internships," Clere said. \nJunior Victoria Henry, who interned with the Army Public Affairs Department at the \nPentagon, said a major advantage of the program was the connections students could make with employers in their fields of interest. \n"It helped you make connections," she said. "There were endless opportunities there. SPEA did a great job of connecting you."\nSenior Bridget McKeon, a public health major who interned with a non-profit organization called Advocacy for Youth, agreed with Henry. \n"The SPEA program has so many connections in so many different fields, that no matter what you are interested in they can help you find an internship to perfectly fit you, and provide you with an experience that will help further your education," McKeon said.\nInternships range over a variety of fields, and each is tailored to the student involved. Past placements include positions in all branches of the military, the State Department, the National Parks Service and other non-governmental, non-profit organizations. Henry advised students to go into the program with an open mind, and do lots of research on their internship choices to find a good fit.\nStudents participating in the program receive 12 credit-hours for the semester they spend in D.C. They pay regular tuition and housing fees. Meals, clothes and other fees are not provided. The program is open to juniors and seniors in good academic standing. Applications are due by Feb. 15, and interviews will start later in the month.\nParticipants do not need to be in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs to participate in the program. In fact, Clere says, SPEA hopes more students from outside the school will apply for the program. He believes that majors do not matter so much as the effect the students have on the reputation of the program and the University. \n"They're great ambassadors for IU, both in Washington and back on campus," he said. \nMcKeon believes that the benefits of participating in the Washington Leadership Program outweigh spending a semester away from a traditional college environment.\n"Anyone who thinks that they might want to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. working at an internship should definitely apply," she said. "Living and working in D.C. for a semester is something completely different than anything that you will experience spending four years in Bloomington"