With Election Day approaching, a lot of people have their attention focused on politics.
Whether it’s local, state or national, the spotlight is placed on government.
But for two Schreyer Honors College Scholars, it was summer internships that had them working in Washington, D.C., around politicians and government agencies.
Senior Nina Boscia worked in the office of U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), while junior Meg Egan interned in the U.S. Department of State during the summer of 2014.
Boscia, who is a double major in speech communication and sociology, said she was very interested in working with Toomey because of the valuable experiences it allowed.
“I grew academically, professionally and culturally through this one internship,” she said. “Not only did I gain a tremendous amount of knowledge in the realms of politics and international affairs, but living in Washington, D.C., gave me the opportunity to make professional connections and experience museums, monuments and historical sites.”
During her time with the senator’s office, Boscia said she was able to practice her communication skills daily through giving tours and sharing Capitol facts.
“These skills are immeasurable, and I will continually carry them with me regardless of my career path,” she said.
Aside from daily tasks, the Easton native spent time working on an internship-long research project doing analytical research, writing about the nation’s budget and presenting it to political staff.
Boscia said because of the skills and opportunities the internship gave her, the experience made her more interested in looking into political communications for a career focus.
For Egan, the opportunity to work for the State Department was one she had been waiting on for a handful of years.
She’s been waiting since high school to apply but couldn’t due to age requirements.
While Egan had been waiting to apply, she said the Schreyer Honors College does a great job of sending out internship opportunities, serving as great reminders for when applications are available and the upcoming deadline.
The international politics major has her eyes set on a dream job with the department as a foreign service officer, meaning she’d work abroad in U.S. embassies and developing foreign policy.
“I chose an internship with the State Department because I knew I wanted to work with U.S. foreign policy. It ended up being a lot more complex than I thought,” Egan said. “There are so many bureaus and offices that it was very overwhelming trying to choose what specifically I wanted to do there.”
Egan was very appreciative of her co-workers who she described as willing to teach her and held her to the standard of a full-time employee.
“I really felt at home in my office,” she said.
During her internship, Egan was able to work several events including two conferences where she was able to hear lectures from the likes of John Kerry and meet with the president of Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
While both of their internships were in the same city and were government based, they also both took great experiences and advice by making the most of their opportunities.
They also agree on the value of internships as means to figure out your passion, get experience and ultimately have a better idea of life outside of college.
“Students have the opportunities to learn about appropriate workplace behavior, organizational communication, effective teamwork and many other skills that are necessary regardless of his or her field of choice,” Boscia said. “Being thrust into the workplace allows one to learn not only about the work within any given field but also provides exceptional tools for communication enhancements and professionalism.”
“I think internships are incredibly important. In a time when there are more people than ever who are able to go to college and graduate with a degree, having life experience is becoming increasingly important,” Egan said. “Furthermore, I have lifelong networking connections but more than that, I have lifelong friends.”