Internship opportunities abound in nation’s capital; scholarships announced

Liberty University’s Washington Fellowship is one of the largest internship programs of its kind. Every spring, summer, and fall, about 25 students from varying degree programs live on Capitol Hill while taking classes and working at a competitive internship in their field.

This fall, Liberty has 18 students living in Washington, D.C., just a few blocks from Congress. They are interning in a variety of places, including the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the American Psychological Association. Liberty even has its first White House intern under the Obama Administration.

The fellowship is open to students of any major. Staff at Liberty’s Career Center give students guidance to help connect them to an internship and students take part in a number of resources, including résumé workshops and mock interviews, to help prepare them not only to land an internship but a future job as well. Every student gets a quality internship in their field and about 25 percent are paid internships. Liberty coordinates student housing and covers the students’ cost of using mass transit in the city.

Jordan Blain, interning with the U.S. Secret Service

While participating in the fellowship, students have opportunities to interact with notable Liberty alumni working in Washington, including Fox News reporter Shannon Bream and Penny Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America.

During a recent networking event, Dr. Brian Yates, dean of Liberty’s Center for Academic Support & Advising Services, announced that three $1,000 scholarships will be available to Washington Fellowship interns during the Spring 2015 semester. The scholarships were provided by Washington Intern Student Housing (WISH), through which Liberty provides living arrangements for its interns.

“We would like to continue to grow the Washington Fellowship. WISH has enabled us to provide opportunities to students that could not afford to participate otherwise,” Yates said.

Liberty plans to continue offering scholarships each semester.

Bunmi Atewologun, interning in the White House

Bunmi Atewologun, a 2013 graduate with a degree in International Relations and Public Policy, is currently working toward her M.B.A. at Liberty while interning in the Office of the Chief Information Officer in the White House’s Executive Office of the President.

“It’s a great honor to even be able to work at the White House,” she said. “I feel like this internship is going to open so many doors.”

Atewologun said her education at Liberty helped set her apart in landing the internship. Currently, she is receiving invaluable on-the-job experience as she helps with day-to-day business tasks in the office.

Senior Jordan Blain, who is studying Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology, is hoping to work in federal law enforcement one day. He is one of two Liberty students who landed an internship with the U.S. Secret Service.

“The internship is huge, it’s definitely a foot in the door. I’m doing lots of networking, making lots of connections,” he said.

Blain added that his coursework at Liberty really prepared him to be able to step into the internship with confidence.

“I felt more than prepared (coming into the internship). A lot more than, I want to say, other students at other universities, honestly, because of the diversity of Liberty’s classes and the relationships that the faculty builds with their students. All of the professors are amazing, so helpful, and really care about their students.”

William Bickett, interning with the U.S. Marshals

William Bickett, a senior currently pursuing a Criminal Justice degree with a minor in Strategic Intelligence, said his internship with the U.S. Marshals, specifically in the Investigative Operations Division, is showing him the daily duties and expectations of a federal officer.

“You really get a feel for how the agency works, flows, and how everybody communicates,” he said. “(Working at) headquarters, I can really see the politics that are involved in federal law enforcement that you don’t see every day.”

While not every student lands their dream internship, Washington, D.C., is a great place for networking, which can lead to future opportunities. Such was the case with Jessica Heidt (’14) who participated in the Washington Fellowship over the summer. Through her internship at the Heritage Foundation, the graphic design graduate was able to make a connection at Vox Global, a public affairs and strategic communications firm, that helped her secure a fall internship as a graphic designer for the firm.

“The next thing I know I have a second internship right after the Washington Fellowship. Had I not done the fellowship, I would not be where I am now,” Heidt said. “I feel like I am learning a lot more than I thought I could learn (through an internship) and it is really preparing me for whatever my future job will end up being.”

She said that her contact at Vox was impressed with Heidt’s knowledge coming into the internship.

“It is just a testament to how well I was prepared and to my teachers, my education, everything Liberty gave me up to this point,&rdq
uo; Heidt said. “The professors (at Liberty) are invaluable.”

• For more on internships in Washington, D.C., and to view videos about the program, visit the Washington Fellowship website.