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Washington Academic Internship Program STEP Journal

I. Introduction

During my experience this summer in Washington, D.C., I will be keeping a journal

about my internship experience and about the many exciting activities I do in the city this

summer. I will write one journal entry per week. I will also write, as part of a Washington

Academic Internship Program (WAIP) requirement, occasional blog posts. These posts can be

found at glennschoolwaip.blogspot.com. They will detail particularly memorable activities I

have done as part of the program. These blog posts and this journal will serve as part of the

Reporting Back requirement of the STEP program as outlined in my STEP grant.

II. Week 1 May 3 – May 10, 2014.

This has been an exciting week so far. WAIP and my summer internship are both in full

swing and I have been busy orientating myself with the great city of Washington, D.C.

Everything started this past Saturday, May 3, when I moved in to my new apartment, Room 204

at The Congressional, a building owned by Washington Intern Student Housing (WISH). It is a

small apartment, with a combined living room and bedroom, and a very small closet, kitchen,

and bathroom. After my parents helped me settle in, we went grocery shopping at the Giant a

few blocks away. My roommate had not yet moved in, so rather than be left alone, my parents

and I went to Old Town, located in nearby Alexandria, Virginia, to eat dinner and see the sights.

On Sunday, May 4, my roommate, Patrick Lipaj moved in. He seems like a nice person

and is very energetic. He will be interning at the Council on Competitiveness, a D.C. think tank.

The next day, Monday, May 5 was program orientation at Ohio State’s office in the Hall of the

States building a few blocks from my apartment building. There, I learned how to navigate

around Washington, and learned about the classes I will be taking as part of this summer

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internship program. I also met the leaders of the program. Dr. Kevin Scott will be teaching our

classes, and Joe Sadek, will be leading the study tours. After orientation, we went on a tour of the

National Archives and the Newseum. At the National Archives, I saw the Declaration of

Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, among other famous documents from American

history. The Newseum featured exhibits about famous events that had occurred in the news

throughout world history. I saw pieces of the Berlin Wall, including a guard tower. Most

poignant to me, however, was the 9/11 exhibit. The museum had part of an antenna from the top

of one of the Twin Towers, as well as a piece of landing gear from one of the airliners that struck

the buildings that day. Also present was the Unabomber’s reconstructed cabin, and several

exhibits on gangsters from the 1930s. There was also a funny exhibit on the movie Anchorman.

Tuesday, May 6, was the first day of my internship. I work at Senator Rob Portman’s (R-

OH) office located in the Russell Senate Office Building. I met my supervisor, Kurt Freshley, as

well as the office manager Jim Durrett. The three interns who had been working at the office

since January showed me the ropes. I learned how to answer phones, which was a tremendous

struggle. I have spent the past three days doing nothing but answering the phones. When I go

back to work on Monday, the interns from the winter will be gone and I will have to be a leader.

I hope that I can make a better impression than I did this past week.

Thursday, May 8, was the first day of class. I will be writing a 20-page policy paper over

a topic of my choice. I will also have to read several books and write two five-page analysis

papers. My internship also counts as a class. Apparently, a supervisors’ evaluation counts as 60

percent of my grade in that class, so I hope I can do better than I did this past week.

Friday, May 9, was our first study tour. Joe showed us the Library of Congress. We

learned about the history of the building and saw the Main Reading Room. Joe took us to get our

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Library of Congress Reader Cards, which give us access to that room. I know I will be going

there at some point to work on my policy paper. The study tour ended rather sooner than I

expected, but it has been fun getting to know the other interns.

Saturday, May 10, the entire program went to tour the embassies of the European Union.

The most notable ones were the Austrian and the Dutch because they had the most free food,

although the Polish embassy was also fun. It was exciting to bond with the other interns today

and I look forward to going to the zoo tomorrow.

III. Week 2: May 10 – May 17, 2014

Saturday at the embassies was fun, but Sunday, May 11, was better. We went to the

National Zoo, which was free, where we saw baby pandas and elephants. I wanted to see

monkeys, lions, and tigers, but the rest of the group lost interest, so we went to get frozen yogurt

instead. After this, a smaller group of us decided to go to Chinatown and eat at the famous Tony

Cheng’s Chinese Restaurant. I had delicious and spicy kung pao beef.

Monday, May 12, was the first day for the rest of the summer interns in Senator

Portman’s office. There are ten of us in total and two others from Ohio State. We all had to meet

with the Senator’s Chief of Staff, Rob Lehman, as well as office manager Jim Durrett. They went

over our responsibilities, which rather than just answering phones, will include giving tours of

the Capitol, working on reports for the many legislative aides, and handling flag requests. I am

excited to begin the real work of my internship in this week and in the coming weeks. I had to

help, our new staff assistant, Meghan, who started the day before I did, train the other new

interns. I also went to the back office for the first time, where I met some of the legislative aides.

Allen, who handles the mail, said he needed help, and I soon found myself assigning responses

to constituent letters. I also learned to sort the mail. In my experience so far, the work can be a

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little boring at times, but I am confident this will improve as I prove my abilities to the

legislative aides.

Wednesday, May 14, was our first policy forum at the Phoenix Hotel, just a few blocks

from my apartment building. It was a networking opportunity with Ohio State alumni, and I got

to hear a presentation from Dr. Stéphane Lavertu on higher education policy. It was a little dry,

but I thought it was pertinent because I am obviously a part of higher education and am

interested in how the cost of attending college can be lowered.

Thursday, May 15, I had the privilege of going to my first Congressional hearing, a

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, at which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Gen.

Eric K. Shinseki, was asked to testify regarding problems with the Veterans Administration

(VA). Numerous prominent Senators, such as Barry Sanders (I-VT), Richard Burr (R-NC), John

D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), John McCain (R-AZ), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) were present. At

one point, Secy. Shinseki was asked, “Why don’t you just resign?” The audience gasped that that

particular question had been asked. I felt that it had been in the back of everyone’s mind, but that

no one would actually ask it. It was also interesting to hear from various veterans groups about

some of the horrific problems occurring at the VA, such as long wait times, double booking

appointments, and “ghost clinics” where veterans were being booked for appointments at clinics

that no longer existed. Hearings are incredibly interesting and I plan to go to as many as I can, in

the coming weeks.

The following day, we visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, where we were

given a tour by a docent who specialized in giving tours to school groups from Ohio. We saw the

original Wright Brothers airplane, flown in 1903. We also saw John Glenn’s Friendship 7, and

several other famous aircraft such as the Spirit of St. Louis. My favorite part was learning about

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the planes used in World War I and World War II. It was also cool to tour the Skylab space

station and look at models of satellites such as Sputnik. While I think the Air Force Museum at

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton is better, it was still awesome to see some of the

most iconic aircraft ever flown.

On Saturday, May 17, I went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This

museum holds special significance for me because, when I was little, and living in Washington

for the first time, I called it the “dinosaur museum”. I was excited today to reunite with my

favorite prehistoric creatures. However, when I arrived, I found out that the dinosaur exhibit will

be closed until 2019, while the museum assembles a new tyrannosaurs rex, recently discovered

in Montana. My dreams of reliving my childhood crushed, I turned to the exhibit on early

humans, such as the australopithecines and Homo habilis. I had learned about these during

various anthropology classes I had taken in previous semesters at Ohio State, so a lot of the

information presented by the museum was old hat to me. I also saw the famous Hope Diamond

as well as exhibits on ocean life and life in the African savanna. As I was walking back to my

apartment I ran into some of my friends from the program and we explored an Asian-American

festival taking place on Constitution Avenue. We then biked to Georgetown and went shopping

before eating a very nice dinner. This area is definitely one I want to explore more in the future.

IV. Week 3: May 17-May 24, 2014.

Sunday, May 18, was uneventful as I used the day to catch up on chores and reading for

my classes. Monday was a normal day at my internship. All of us are learning together and

beginning to have new experiences. This week, I had the privilege, along with another of my

fellow interns to hand deliver certificates to a group of World War II veterans from Ohio who

were visiting the World War II Memorial on the National Mall. It was exciting to be able to

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thank these brave individuals for their services, but it was also sad to realize how old they now

are, and how quickly we are losing the national treasure that our World War II veterans are.

Another exciting event at my internship this week was my four-hour tour training class,

at which I learned how to give a tour of the Capitol Building. The training was cut short,

however, because the building is being renovated and debris was falling from the ceiling in the

Rotunda. I left not feeling confident in my ability to give a good tour, so I have been going

around the building during downtime to try to learn the tour route and as much of the

information as I possibly can. One of the other interns promised me I could shadow her on a tour

next week. Once I do that, I am confident I will be able to give a good tour.

Thursday, May 22, was our class. I submitted the question I will be exploring with my

policy paper. I will be writing about the issue of gun control and how to solve the problem of gun

violence. Class is exciting because it is discussion based. We talked about the dysfunctional

politics in the United States today. The book we read blamed the Republican Party for much of

the problem. While this may be somewhat accurate, I thought the book had an unfortunate liberal

bias. After all, Democrats are clearly causing problems as well. The discussion was engaging and

I learned a lot, both about the issue at hand, and about the political leanings of several of my

fellow interns. It will be exciting to have many more classes with them.

Friday, May 23, was our tour of the Capitol Building. I had just taken a class on this, so I

used the tour to try to memorize the route as well as the information our tour guide was sharing.

Friday was also an important day for me because I flew home to be with my family for Memorial

Day weekend. I had to take a very long Metro ride to Reagan National Airport, where I sat for

six hours while my flight was delayed. I finally left Washington around 9:30 Friday night for the

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hour-long flight to Cincinnati. I will miss being in Washington this weekend, but I am excited to

see my family.

V. Week Four: May 24-May 31, 2014

It was nice to spend an extended weekend in Cincinnati with my family, but on Monday,

May 26, I flew back to Washington, where I will spend the rest of the summer. This week, the

Senate was out of session, so I did almost nothing at work. There were few phone calls, but I did

give my first tour. I did not get lost, as I feared I would, and the family I gave it to said I did an

excellent job. It is fun to give tours because it breaks up the monotony of the days when the

Senate is not in session.

Tuesday May 27 was another policy salon. This one was held at another WISH property

and discussed lobbying. It was interesting to learn more about a potential career and to hear

career advice from someone with a great deal of experience. While these policy salons may be

annoying at first, they are valuable in terms of the information they present.

Thursday, May 29, was our next class. It was also the day my first five-page paper was

due. In it, I explored potential justifications for a hypothetical war with Iran. Our class discussed

President Obama’s foreign policy. It was interesting to hear the opinions of my classmates on

things like drones, the war in Afghanistan, and what the United States should do about China and

North Korea. I really enjoy foreign policy and am thinking more seriously about it as a career

path.

Friday, May 30, was our study tour to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s plantation.

We met very early in the morning to take a boat down the Potomac River to the plantation. I saw

his grave, and went on a tour of the mansion. It was a little eerie to see the bed in which the

President had died, but it was awesome to see everything as it had appeared in the 1700s.

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Mount Vernon now includes a museum about George Washington’s life in addition to the

planation itself. I had the privilege of seeing Washington’s dentures, made not of wood as the

myth says, but of ivory, and teeth from slaves, willingly given. We also learned about

Washington’s exploits as the leader of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. It is

amazing that such as small group of poorly trained, poorly armed rebels was able, with the help

of the French, to defeat the British army. Washington is a great man and it was fantastic to learn

more about him.

Most of Friday was taken up by the tour of Mount Vernon, and I used Saturday to go to

the Library of Congress and do research for my policy paper. The Main Reading Room is a

fantastic space, and I find the domed ceiling inspires me to think outside of the box. I felt so

productive and got a vast amount of research done during about half a day at the library. I love

the privilege of being able to work in such a nice building.

VI. Week Five: May 31 – June 7, 2014.

Saturday the 31st was boring, so on Sunday June 1, my roommate and I decided to pay a

visit to Arlington National Cemetery. We were unsure how to get there, so we took the Metro out

to the Pentagon, thinking that then, at least we would be close, and that we could perhaps walk

the rest of the way. We got off the Metro at the Pentagon and walked around the massive

military complex until we came upon a memorial to the victims who died when an airliner struck

the Pentagon on 9/11. The memorial was a surreal sight. It is easy to see where the plane hit,

because the façade looks newer than the surrounding stone. The memorial is made up of a series

of benches, each representing a victim who died either on the plane, or inside the building. The

benches were arranged by the year of each victim’s birth. For example, everyone who was born

in 1993 who died on that day was placed in the same row. It was numbing to think that some of

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the youngest victims of the attack would be my age today, or even a little younger. Each victim

represents so much potential that is lost forever.

After several minutes of somber reflection, we thought we could walk to the nearby

Arlington National Cemetery. We found out that we could walk there, but that we would have to

walk in an extremely large circle to reach the visitors’ entrance. My roommate wanted to hop the

fence, but I warned him that that would probably get us arrested. At any rate, we went back to

the Metro and rode it to the visitors’ entrance. Once inside we saw several amazing sites. One

was President Kennedy’s grave. It is lit by the Eternal Flame and is surrounded by a wall of

quotes from the famous President. We went up to the top of the hill in the cemetery and saw

Robert E. Lee’s mansion. I knew he had once owned the land that is now the cemetery, but I

thought that his mansion had been converted into the cemetery’s offices. Apparently, that is not

the case, so my roommate and I went on a tour of the house. It is amazing to think that Lee, a

man who worked to destroy the country is related by marriage to George Washington. It was also

fascinating to learn that Arlington National Cemetery is connected by a bridge to Washington,

D.C. and the Lincoln Memorial. This is a great example of reunification between the North and

the South. The home of the man who tried to destroy the Union is linked forever to the

monument honoring the man who saved it.

Just a short walk from Lee’s mansion is the tomb of Civil War unknown soldiers. Down

the hill is the famous Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. An armed Marine guards this tomb 24

hours a day. We saw the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony, which was an extremely

solemn and moving event. It was an honor to visit Arlington National Cemetery.

Monday, June 2, was an ordinary day at work, but that night, I met my mentor, Mike

McCarley. Mr. McCarley graduated from Ohio State in the 1970s and served in the Navy. He

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started his own company, ICI Services Corporation, which focuses on ship design. He took me to

Morton’s Steakhouse, and although he was exorbitantly late, he paid for a delicious steak dinner

and gave me advice on whether to go to law school or graduate school, networking, and how to

be an overall better individual. I enjoyed my time with Mike and hope to meet him again soon.

Tuesday, June 3, was much less exciting. It was our policy salon, where an Ohio State

Moritz College of Law alumnus talked to us about affirmative action in education. I am very

interested in one day going to law school, so I asked him many questions after his presentation. I

wanted to know why he chose to go into law, why he chose Ohio State, and whether jobs

remained available for new lawyers in the current market. He said that law was still a great

profession and encouraged me to email him any more questions. I will try to set up a meeting

with him later this summer.

Wednesday, June 4 was an uneventful day and Thursday June 5 was our next class. We

continued our discussion of foreign policy, talking about drone warfare and threats posed by

nations such as China and North Korea. The class seems to be divided over whether President

Obama’s use of drones is good or bad for U.S. foreign policy. I think that drones are one of the

bright spots of President Obama’s foreign policy and are in line with his remarks last week that

the United States must be a leader, but must be able to cooperate with other nations. I think the

U.S. can use drones as a better way to fight terrorism in the future, rather than using conventional

military units as we did in Iraq, and are still doing in Afghanistan.

Friday, June 6, was our next study tour. We toured the U.S. Supreme Court, which is

conveniently located practically next door to my apartment. We watched a video where the

justices described the history and importance of the judicial branch of government and learned a

great deal about the architecture of the building, which, according to the video, was one of the

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only government buildings ever to be constructed under budget. Next, we went into the main

courtroom, where a docent gave a lecture about how the Court works. It was exciting to see the

nine chairs where the justices sit and hear cases. I know the Court is not hearing arguments at

this point in the term, but the justices are handing down opinions throughout June. I want to try

to see an opinion handed down before the end of the month.

Saturday June 7 was an exciting day. Some of the other interns I work with invited me to

come to FedEx Field, home of the NFL’s Washington Redskins to see an international friendly

soccer game between El Salvador and Spain just days before the start of the World Cup in Brazil.

Additionally, the Columbus Crew was playing D.C. United, so I wanted to support Columbus.

The stadium was packed with El Salvador fans, but Spain won easily 2-0. Soccer between a

European team and a Central American team is much more exciting that soccer between two

U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) teams. International soccer is much faster and has an overall

more intense feeling. We left at the halftime of the Crew game and went off to have dinner at an

Irish pub a few blocks from my apartment. Overall, it was an excellent day and I look forward to

the World Cup next week.

VII. Week 6: June 7-June 14, 2014

Saturday was a very exciting day, so I used Sunday, June 8 to recover and focus on the

upcoming week. Monday June 9, was uneventful, but Tuesday June 10, was very exciting. This

is because the Iraqi city of Mosul has just fallen to militants from the terrorist group the Islamic

State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The collapse of Mosul, coming so soon after President Obama’s

foreign policy speech at West Point is ironic in a horrific way. Foreign policy events, like what

has occurred in Iraq this week interest me greatly and I hope that I will be able to explore the

issue more at work. The other interns I work with will leave in a few weeks, but I still have quite

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some time left. I hope to do more foreign policy work for Senator Portman’s foreign policy

legislative aide, Tyler, during the next intern session.

Tuesday was also a résumé workshop that I was required along with all of the other

WAIP interns, to attend. I feel as though I already have a good résumé, so I did not feel that the

workshop was especially valuable. The presenter, an Ohio State alumnus was more

condescending than anything and he had an annoying, nasally voice that reminded me of my

former roommate. Wednesday was uneventful, but Thursday was an important day because my

annotated bibliography and outline for my policy paper were due that day. I am excited to begin

working on the draft of the paper in the next week or so, and want to hear feedback from Dr.

Scott. In our class, we discussed monetary policy this week, instead of foreign policy. This is

frustrating, especially given the developments in Iraq this week. Monetary policy is very

important; it just does not hold my interest in the same way as foreign policy.

Friday, June 13, we did not have a study tour because Joe was out of town. In an email,

Dr. Scott said that the real reason there was no study tour was that Friday the 13th is an unlucky

day. I think this is a stupid excuse. Really, Joe and Dr. Scott are just being lazy.

Rather than wallow in self-pity, I decided to go to Ford’s Theatre. It was a rainy Friday

afternoon, but I had to do something other than sit in my room. I arrived after a short Metro ride

and wet walk, to the infamous theater. It, and the house across the street, look out of place among

the more modern buildings on the rest of the block. I was informed that the museum had sold out

of tickets for the day, but that I could still see most of the “important stuff” if I got a free ticket

instead. I accepted this and was led up into the gallery of the main theater. It was a little shocking

to see the box where President Lincoln was shot. It is draped in American flags and has a portrait

of George Washington, and oddly not Abraham Lincoln at the front. A park ranger dressed in

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period clothing walked out onto the stage and said the he was there on April 14, 1865, when the

President was shot. The play was Our American Cousin and, when Lincoln walked in late, the

orchestra stopped, and played “Hail to the Chief”. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia,

the main Confederate army, had surrendered to General Grant just days before. The Civil War

was essentially over.

The speaker related that about an hour and a half after Lincoln entered, John Wilkes

Booth entered the theater. Booth entered Lincoln’s box, waited until a scene in the play in which

there was only one actor on stage, and shot the President in the back of the head. Booth jumped

down, shouting, “Sic semper tyrannis!” (Thus always to tyrants). The speaker explained that

Booth thought that, by killing Lincoln, he would save the Confederacy. The speaker explained

that Booth was part of a larger conspiracy to kill Vice President Johnson and Secretary of State

Seward. Johnson and Seward were not killed. Lincoln was moved to a house across the street,

where doctors attempted to save him. Unfortunately, he died early the next morning. Union

troops killed Booth in Virginia a few days later

The house across the street from the theater is cool because it still has the bed where

Lincoln died. It is a very short bed for a very tall man. The house is also connected to a museum

that talks about the Lincoln Memorial, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement. This is

interesting, but I feel that the house should not have a modern addition and should have been left

the way it appeared in 1865. Ford’s Theatre was an amazing historical site and I hope to come

back one day to see the parts of the museum I was unable to see.

I spent most of the rest of the weekend relaxing with the other WAIP interns and

watching the World Cup, which has just started. I hope the United States does well in its first

game against Ghana on Monday. I am not much of a soccer fan, but almost everyone else in

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WAIP seems to be, so I guess that means I am, too. Of course, I will be patriotic and root for the

United States, but soccer is a sport for the rest of the world. I would rather watch something like

football or basketball.

VIII. Week 7: June 14 – June 21, 2014

Nothing special really stands out about the weekend of June 14 and 15. The 15th of

course, was Father’s Day, and I realized that, for the first time in 20 years, I was not home to

celebrate Father’s Day with my dad. I hope that he, and the rest of my family, can visit at some

point.

Monday, June 16, was the start of another week at work. It is hard to believe that this is

the last week that I have with the first group of interns. Paul, Saayee, Jack, Mariah, Kelsie,

Nicole, Kate, Monica, Cara, and Hannah, have all been fantastic fellow interns. I know I will see

Paul and Saayee again, as they go to Ohio State. They were two of the most conscientious interns

and really impressed the staffers. Jack was a bit of a clown, and acted inappropriately at times,

but he did provide some comic relief on stressful days. Mariah was a good intern, but was quick

to judge others, a habit I found very irritating. Kelsie and Nicole were very down to earth interns

who gave their best effort. I rarely saw Kate and Monica, as they worked in the press office most

of the time, but they seemed like nice girls. Kate is staying another week and will help me train

the new batch of interns. Monica will go back home for 10 days, then become an intern for

Speaker Boehner. Cara starts another internship in the House next week. Hannah told me she is

going to stay in Washington to look for a job before going back to Carnegie Mellon in the fall. I

am sure that I will see most of them again. Nevertheless, it is sad to see them go.

As the old interns are leaving, a new batch is coming in. Patrick and Joby started this

week. Neither of them goes to Ohio State, but they seem like good interns. Patrick learned how

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to operate the phones very fast, and it took Joby some time. I had to work with him quite a while,

and it made me think back to May, where I was clueless on the phones and had to ask constantly

for help. I could hardly believe that I was now training another intern how to use the phones. I

hope the rest of the new interns are as good as Patrick and Joby.

As it is the first class of intern’s last week, many special things are going on. On

Wednesday, we had lunch with Senator Portman himself and he asked us how we liked the

experience and what our plans were for the future. It is an honor to be able to work for the

Senator. He was once an intern and replaced the person he interned for when he first came to

Congress in 1993. On Thursday, the Senator took us on a tour of Speaker Boehner’s private

office and we got a fantastic group picture on the Speaker’s Balcony overlooking the National

Mall. I will remember that picture for a long time. It was an honor to be a part of the first class of

interns and I look forward to the next group.

Of course, with all of the fun times at work, I still had to focus on academics. On

Tuesday June 17, we had another policy salon, this time with an OSU alumnus who worked for

the Government Accountability Office (GAO). His talk was very boring and he spoke in a dry

monotone while attempting to make terrible jokes. It was a struggle not to fall asleep. Thursday

June 19, I met privately with Dr. Scott and we discussed my policy paper. He liked my outline

and my annotated bibliography and I look forward to beginning work on the rough draft in the

coming days.

Friday, June 20, was supposed to be our study tour of the National Security Council

(NSC) and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. However, recent developments in Iraq

caused the tour to be canceled. This meant that on Friday, I had very little to do. Thankfully, that

afternoon, Mariah told me that our entire office was going to Union Pub, near my apartment, for

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an end-of-session party for the first class of interns. I went to that and had a great time talking

with the other interns and staffers. We went back to one of my boss’ apartments and hung out as

a group for the last time. I promised the staffers that, as essentially the only fully trained intern

remaining, I would give my best effort to help them transition to the new class of interns. They

told me that I had done an excellent job thus far and that they were excited that I was staying for

another session.

I used Saturday June 21 as a day mainly to relax. I went shopping at Columbia Heights,

which is a very nice area. Tomorrow, a group of us is planning to go to Rock Creek Park, which

is a national park in Washington. It will be exciting to connect with nature.

IX. Week 8: June 21 – June 28, 2014

Saturday the 21st, was uneventful, but Sunday June 22 was great. We rode the Metro over

to Rock Creek Park and hiked on the trails there all afternoon. Rock Creek Park is a little bit like

New York’s Central Park. I think it is awesome how someone can be in one of the largest cities

in the country, but still feel lost in nature. Rock Creek Park is a great example of that. At some

points, we felt so deep in the woods, that we could only hear the babbling of a small stream and

could not see any of the buildings, or hear any of the cars that are so often associated with the

bustling city of Washington. After a long afternoon of hiking with friends, I went home, and got

ready for work the next day, and the entirely new group of interns.

Monday June 23, was a very difficult day. Kate, Patrick, Joby, and I were the only interns

with any training. Kate had spent the past five weeks in the press office and Patrick and Joby

only had a weeks’ worth of experience. This meant that much of the responsibility for typical

intern tasks fell to me. I had to answer many silly questions from other interns, show them how

to get places, and train them on the phones. Additionally, I had to give nearly all of the tours.

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While giving tours is an enjoyable experience, I normally only give one once every few days. It

is fun to interact with the tourists and tell them interesting information about the many famous

works of art spread throughout the Capitol. However, on Monday, and again on Tuesday, I had

to give tours at least two or three times. That meant that for upwards of two to three hours a day,

I was on my feet and away from the office. This is very stressful. I need to train the other interns

how to give tours over the next week.

I normally try to go to Congressional hearings once or twice a week, but I was unable to

do that this week. Our office was just too chaotic. On Tuesday June 24, we had another policy

salon, this time with the Ohio State Office of Federal Relations, located in the same building as

our class. It was nice to have an engaging presentation, for a change. Wednesday the 25th was the

Excellence in Public Service Awards Dinner at the Jones Day Building. This was a great

networking opportunity. I had the opportunity to meet the hiring manager for Jones Day, one of

the most prestigious law firms in the country. The hiring manager just so happens to be an Ohio

State alumnus. Given my interest in law, I think I made a valuable connection. I also had the

privilege of seeing Dr. Richard Cordray receive the Excellence in Public Service Award. Dr.

Cordray is the first director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He also works

closely with the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. Unfortunately, John Glenn himself was not

at the dinner. It would have been a tremendous honor to meet him. However, it was still fun to

get a group picture with the Capitol Building in the background. This is an especially cool

picture because it is the same view of the Capitol Building that CBS News shoots when they

report stories from Washington.

On Thursday, June 26, there was no class. Rather, we had the first day of internship

presentations. Mine was not on Thursday, so I did not attend. Our task was to give a ten-minute

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oral presentation about the culture of the institution for which we worked. We had to discuss our

role in the office, as well as the overall structure of the office. I am terrified of public speaking,

so when I presented on Friday June 27, I was very nervous. When I get nervous, I talk fast, so I

planned a long presentation, knowing the odds were that I would rush, and be able to finish on

time. Little did I realize that I had planned to say too much. Dr. Scott held up his hand for the

two-minute warning and I was only slightly over halfway done. I feel as though I had to rush

through the end of my presentation, although everyone said I did a good job. I hope I get a good

grade on this assignment.

After the presentations, a group of us went to get lunch. My roommate and I then went

back to our apartment and he packed to go to Cleveland. He will be gone until July 7. I am

excited to have the apartment to myself for 10 days, but also a little sad. Pat has been a great

roommate. He is the first roommate I have had that I have not hated by the end of my experience.

Saturday June 28 was my first day on my own. I decided to find some obscure sights. I

started out by looking for the James A. Garfield Memorial. Every time I give a tour of the

Capitol, I have to point him out because he is one of two statues commissioned for the Capitol by

the state of Ohio. Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States in 1881. He was shot

by an insane office seeker and died of an infection to his bullet wound after languishing for

several weeks. The memorial to him is near the Capitol Reflecting Pool. It features the President

standing on a pedestal surrounded by other figures. It was erected in 1887 by members of the

Society of the Army of the Cumberland, a group of Civil War veterans of which Garfield was a

member.

After finding one obscure memorial, I wanted to find another. From the Garfield

Memorial I walked to Capitol South Metro Station. I transferred trains at the L’Enfant Plaza stop

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and then rode until I reached Fort Totten. At the Fort Totten Station, I transferred again and rode

until I reached the Silver Spring stop on the Maryland-D.C. border. I chose to come here because

I wanted to find the North Corner D.C. Boundary Stone. The District is surrounded by 40 stones

marking the border between the federal territory and the surrounding states of Maryland and

Virginia. Some of these stones are located entirely within Virginia because the District gave

Virginia much of its land back in the 19th century. Anyway, the North Corner Boundary stone

was very hard to find. I had to walk along a Maryland state route next to an apartment complex

until my phone told me that I was by the stone. I looked around me and saw only the apartment

complex to my right and the busy road to my left. After 20 minutes of exploring the area, I

finally stumbled across the stone. It was across the street from the apartment complex, obscured

from the road by a guardrail and some trees. It appears to be almost in somebody’s back yard. It

is surrounded by a low, green fence to keep people from stealing it, and has a small plaque

saying what it is and that the Maryland Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution

protects it. While this stone is obscure, it was interesting to find the original northern boundary

of D.C. It was a long Metro ride back, but it was a very rewarding day.

X. Week 9: June 28-July 5, 2014

Saturday, June 28 was an exciting day of sightseeing, so I used Sunday the 29th to write

more of my rough draft of my policy paper. My goal is to make the extra credit deadline of

midnight on July 5.

This week at work was very boring. Congress is out of session because Independence

Day is this week. Surprisingly, we had very few Capitol tours to give. Thus, a majority of my

time at work this week was spent at a computer reading Washington Post and Politico articles

online. Perhaps the only perk from this workweek is that the dress code was business casual.

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Due to Independence Day, we had no policy salon this week and we did not have class. I

was able to finish the rough draft of my policy paper on July 3. I hope I receive a good grade. I

probably worry too much about it. Unfortunately, there is no way I can know my grade until I

meet with Dr. Scott on July 17.

The only truly exciting parts of this week were the weekend. On Friday, July 4, I woke up

early to go to the Independence Day Parade by the Smithsonian museums. Sadly, none of the

other Ohio State interns wanted to go, so I had to go alone. It was still exciting to see some of the

parade, although I was confused by the large presence of Asian-American floats. The last time I

attended this parade, in the late 1990s, it consisted mostly of marching bands and veterans

groups. I value cultural diversity, but on the 4th of July, I want to see marching bands and

military-oriented things. However, it was still cool to see a group of people dressed up as

Confederate and Union Civil War soldiers ride by on horseback.

After the parade, I walked over to the National Museum of American History. There, I

saw numerous exciting exhibits, such as Abraham Lincoln’s coat and hat, and weapons from

wars throughout American history. After spending most of the afternoon at the museum, I

walked back to my apartment and met some of the other WAIP interns to go see the fireworks.

We thought that the Library of Congress would be a good spot. However, when the fireworks

went off, it was still a little light out, and the Capitol Building partially obscured our view. One

of the girls and I decided to move past the Capitol, where we were treated to one of the best

fireworks displays I have ever seen. I felt so proud to be an American.

After the fireworks, we tried to go to Union Pub for some celebratory food and drinks,

but they refused to let us in. Frustrated, we all went our separate ways. I watched the movie

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Patton on Netflix and went to bed. This Independence Day was not the best, because I was not

with my family, but it was still exciting to spend the Fourth in D.C.

I spent most of July 5 relaxing by myself and reading the required portion of a book for

my next paper for class. It was a boring day, but it felt good to catch up on some of my work.

XI. Week 10: July 5 – July 12, 2014

Saturday, July 5 was a boring day and my situation did not improve on Sunday. My

roommate let me know he would not be coming back until Thursday July 10. At this point, I had

begun to grow lonely in my apartment by myself. The other interns were very friendly and it was

fun to be with them, but sometimes I feel that our personalities do not mesh. They seem to want

to go out much more than I am willing to do, leaving me alone, especially on weekend nights.

This is depressing and is something that I either must change in the future or wait until I find the

people who are right for me. I am a stubborn person, so I will probably wait. Oh well.

Monday, July 7 was a much better day. Congress was back in session, so that meant that

there was a lot more to do at work. Additionally, my mentor, Mike McCarley contacted me again

wanting to meet for dinner this Wednesday. I looked at this as an opportunity to network again.

On Tuesday, July 8, I found out that there would be no more policy salons. This is a good

thing, because I thought the policy salons were of limited value. Several of the presenters just did

not seem that interested in telling a bunch of twenty-somethings about their careers. Wednesday,

July 9 was a great day, because I got to meet my mentor for pizza near my apartment. He gave

me some books on how to be a truly successful individual and gave me a book on the War of

1812, which I thought was a little strange. I am interested in history, though, so I will most likely

read the book at some point. Mr. McCarley also was good enough to invite me to come to the

Nationals game on the 19th. I have been to two Nationals games while I have been in D.C. and

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they have both been great experiences. Nationals Park is a fantastic venue and the team itself is

excellent. I look forward to going again.

Additionally, Pat surprised me and came home Wednesday night. He told me that he had

not yet started the rough draft of his policy paper, which was due by the start of class on

Thursday. However, Pat woke up early Thursday morning and was able to submit the rough draft

on time. It turns out that Dr. Scott got pinkeye and class was canceled. We now have not had

class in a little over half a month. This makes me wonder why I am paying a full semester’s

worth of tuition. Perhaps I should demand a partial refund for canceled classes.

On Thursday, my family came down from Cincinnati to visit for the weekend. They

visited me at work and I gave them a tour of the Capitol. My parents were so proud of me, but

my sister did not seem too excited about the Capitol or anything government related. It was still

so nice to see them. I almost felt like I was on vacation while I was giving them the tour.

Friday, June 11 saw the return of the study tours. Our new leader, Katy Hogan, took us to

Lockheed Martin, where we received a tour from an Ohio State alumnus. He told us that

Lockheed Martin is known for making fighter jets for the U.S. military. Lockheed Martin is also

involved in space exploration. The company makes satellites for exploratory, military, and

communications purposes. It designed the solar panels that are now on the International Space

Station and was involved in the Hubble Space Telescope project. The tour guide told us that he

thinks America’s next mission in space should be to discover how we could knock asteroids out

of orbit so that they do not hit Earth. However, I think Mars would be awesome to explore.

Perhaps Lockheed Martin will play a role in getting the first humans onto the red planet. It would

be amazing to work for them in the future.

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After the study tour, I took the Metro out to Ballston Station in Virginia to meet my

family, who was staying near our old home in McLean, Virginia. We drove through our old town

and went over to Georgetown, where we had cupcakes and espresso from a popular Georgetown

cupcake shop. We also ate dinner at a very fancy restaurant and I had filet mignon for the first

time. It was delicious. After shopping at some very expensive shops in the area, we drove over to

the National Mall and took a night tour of the Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr. and

Lincoln Memorials. My sister and I also visited the memorial to D.C. area veterans of World

War I. It is strange to me that there is no national World War I memorial. Perhaps Congress can

change that.

After seeing the memorials, we went back to my family’s hotel and planned to go to

Baltimore the next day. I love being with my family again and showing them the city that I love

so much. Seeing them reminds me that soon, I will have to leave this wonderful place and go

back to Cincinnati. This depresses me because whenever I go back there, I feel as though I am

trapped in my high school environment. In D.C., I feel so happy and have a sense of

accomplishment and self-worth that I have only ever felt in Columbus. Although, I will not have

to go back to Cincinnati for about three more weeks, part of me dreads that day. I will enjoy

every minute of the time I have left in Washington.

XII. Week 11: July 12 – July 19, 2014

On Sunday, July 13, my family and I drove to Baltimore where we saw Fort McHenry.

This fort is important in American history because it is where “The Star Spangled Banner” was

inspired. In the War of 1812, the British Navy attacked the fort in an attempt to take the city of

Baltimore and end the war in a decisive defeat fort the United States. After a 25-hour

bombardment, the American flag still flew over the fort. This inspired poet Francis Scott Key to

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write what would later become our national anthem. It was fun to visit the fort because we were

able to see a demonstration of some of the cannons from the War of 1812. Only two cannons

were fired in the demonstration, but they were each incredibly loud. It is hard to imagine what

the actual 25-hour bombardment would have been like, 200 years ago.

A replica of the giant 15 star, 15 stripe flag flies above Fort McHenry in suitable weather.

Shortly before we were to leave, the park rangers informed everyone that they were about to

lower the flag due to an incoming storm. I was able to help fold the flag along with about 20 to

30 other visitors. I will never forget that experience.

The next day, July 14, was the start of another workweek. Nothing particularly eventful

happened until Wednesday July 16, when I went to a Senate Values Action Team event with

another intern in my office. I thought that “Senate Values Action Team” meant a seminar in

which team building strategies would be discussed. I thought we would learn about how to make

our offices more fun and effective and learn how to make the Senate function more smoothly.

However, I was surprised to learn that this meeting was about the conservative social agenda.

Issues such as gay marriage, women’s rights, abortion, and the Supreme Court’s recent Hobby

Lobby decision were discussed. Shortly before the event, the other intern I was with began

talking about the Hobby Lobby decision. I quickly discovered that she had very different ideas

about the case than I did. She seemed to think that the Hobby Lobby case completely prevented

women from gaining access to so-called “abortion pills”. However, I explained the case only said

that privately held companies could decide not to offer certain types of birth control if those

types of birth control violated those companies’ religious beliefs. My reasoning sparked another

argument about whether corporations are people or not. The other intern and I disagreed on this

as well. I was somewhat frustrated that such a liberal intern had been hired to work in a

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Republican Senate office. To me, it would make sense to hire only conservative interns to work

for a Republican Senator. However, although I wanted to continue the argument, we were

officially representing the Senator at this event, so we had to present a united front. I learned a

great deal of valuable information and enjoyed the event, although I am certain my fellow intern

did not.

The rest of this week was uneventful until our Friday study tour at the European Union

building on Friday, July 18. We listened to a lecture about cooperation between European

nations and learned about how countries become part of the European Union (EU). Nations

wishing to be a part of the EU must be in Europe and must be democratic, or at the very least, on

the way to becoming a democratic country. They must also have the approval of the other EU

nations. For example, Turkey has applied to become part of the EU, but the application process

has gone on for a very long time because there are concerns about how democratic Turkey is. I

also learned that Great Britain was rejected when it first applied to the EU because France did

not want them to join. All EU nations must adopt the euro as their currency. However, Great

Britain and a handful of other countries in the EU do not have the euro as their currency because

they opted out. It was interesting and informative to learn about the EU. I particularly enjoyed

this study tour.

After the study tour, a group of us walked to Georgetown where we shopped and ate at a

fancy French restaurant. I had two delicious crepes. One was filled with beef and sour cream and

the other was filled with Nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream. This was one of the best

meals I have had in Washington.

The next evening, July 19, I went to another Nationals game with my mentor. The

Nationals were playing the Milwaukee Brewers. This game was just as fun as the fun as the first

Doarn 26

two. By the end of the first inning, the Nationals were up 5-0 and they went on to win 8-3. I had

a great time.

XIII. Week 12: July 19-July 26, 2014

Saturday was fun and I used Sunday, July 20, to visit the United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum. I avoided the line because of my government ID and got to tour the main

exhibit. At the start of the exhibit, each guest receives an identification booklet with information

about one particular person who was somehow involved in the Holocaust. I told myself that I

would not look at mine until I made it through the entire exhibit. I took the elevator up to the top

floor, where I learned about the Nazis’ rise to power in Germany and the gradual restriction of

the rights of Jews and other groups the Nazis deemed undesirable. It was chilling to hear the

German national anthem played repeatedly while Hitler’s voice boomed in the background.

In order to get to the next floor guests have to walk through a hallway filled with pictures

of Jews who perished in the Holocaust. The sheer number of pictures is staggering. On the floor

below, guests see exhibits depicting life in the concentration camps. I walked through an actual

train car used to transport Jews to the camps. The cars were built to transport cattle, but instead

transported 100 or 200 Jews per car to the camps. I also toured a reconstructed camps barracks

and read about the atrocities committed by the Nazis. It was horrifying. I walked through a

hallway where the floor around the walkway consisted of nothing but shoes of victims. The floor

is underneath thousands of shoes. To think that the number of shoes I saw was only a fraction of

those who died is sickening.

The last floor of the Holocaust Museum explores the end of the Holocaust and shows

some of what American, British, and Soviet troops found when they liberated the camps. The

Soviets found bags of human hair that were to be used in wigs. Replicas of these bags were on

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display. I also watched footage of British and American troops liberating some of the camps. I

could only watch for about 10 minutes before I had to turn away. The images I saw were horribly

graphic and made me feel physically sick. I exited the main exhibit and entered another room

where a flame burns for eternity in remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust. As I exited to

the street, I opened the identification booklet I had received at the beginning of my tour and

found that the person I was supposed to be had been a resistance fighter in a ghetto and had died

in a concentration camp just days before it was liberated. The Holocaust Museum is not

something to be taken lightly. It was one of the most somber experiences of my life and will

remain with me forever.

Monday July 21 was the start of my second-to-last week of work. Monday was a good

day, but Tuesday the 22nd was the start of a difficult couple of days for me. As soon as I walked

into the office that morning, I was asked to go to the Women and Addiction forum at which

Senator Portman was speaking. This was interesting and I had the opportunity to hear the

heartbreaking stories of several women as they testified about their experiences with drug abuse.

I had been nearly put to sleep by the speeches by the four senators present, but the stories the

women told were captivating. I thought Tuesday would be a good day, but things would prove

not to stay so positive. That afternoon, I was asked to help a staffer write a memo. I started this

project, but was shortly interrupted by another intern who needed my help in leading a Capitol

tour of 17 people. Despite working for nearly five weeks and going on several tours, she still felt

uncomfortable leading tours by herself. I was a little frustrated with her, but left to lead the tour.

We began the tour and another intern, who was supposed to lead the tour showed up. He told me

he could take my spot. I thought,thought that because I had already begun the tour, it would be a

little awkward to stop suddenly, so I told him I could handle it. I completed the tour with two

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other interns, but then had to wait in the Capitol Visitor Center for the group to finish exploring

the House and Senate Galleries. I was worried that I would not finish the memo I had been

working on, so I returned to the office. I explained to my supervisor that the two other interns

were still with the tour group. Rather than thanking me for leading such a large tour, she said,

“Next time give it to another intern, so everybody can experience giving tours”. A simple “thank

you” would have been enough for me.

Slightly frustrated, I edited the memo and gave it to the staffer who had asked me to write

it. He said he would make a few edits. In the meantime, another staffer asked me to assemble a

binder of bills for him. I thought that this was a simple task so I began to work on that. Based on

the somewhat unclear directions he gave, I thought the binder only had to contain four bills. I

printed these bills and then gave the binder to the staffer. He told me that he had given me a list

of other bills. I realized that I had lost the list in the shuffle of papers around my work area.

Frustrated, the staffer assigned the binder to another intern, leaving me feeling somewhat

humiliated. Fortunately, I was able to finish the last draft of the memo, but I left work that day,

furious with myself, the staffers, and the other interns.

Wednesday, July 23 started out wonderfully. All of the interns sat in Senator Portman’s

private office for about a half hour as he talked to us about politics and life in general. We asked

him what his plans for 2016 were. He said he would consider running for President if it appeared

as though no other Republican would win. However, he said his main goals were to win

reelection as a Senator in 2016 and to help Republicans gain control of the Senate in 2014.

After this great start to the day, I hoped to redeem myself after the frustrations of

Tuesday. However, I was stuck answering phones for several hours. My supervisor told me I was

answering certain calls incorrectly even though I had done them that way for the past 11 weeks. I

Doarn 29

was also caught momentarily slouching at the desk and was spoken to harshly about that by the

office manager. I understand that what I did was wrong, but answering phones can be a

demoralizing job. It is disheartening that the same people calling in to voice their sometimes

terrible and uneducated opinions are also voting.

Thursday was an uneventful day of work and we had our last real class session. We

talked about the Supreme Court and some of their relatively recent controversial 5-4 decisions

such as D.C. v. Heller the Hobby Lobby case, and the Affordable Care Act case. Much of the

discussion revolved around the Heller case, but I did not participate much because my research

paper deals in part with this decision and I did not want to risk ruining my presentation next

week.

Friday, July 25 was our last study tour. We went up to the top of the Washington

Monument and looked at the amazing views from the tallest building in the city. It was cool to

see how small Reagan National Airport is and to see how close we were to both Maryland and

Virginia. It was a beautifully clear day with fantastic views. I wish I had a better camera.

After the tour, a few friends and I toured the National History Museum and the National

Art Museum. I had already visited the National History Museum, but it was fun to go again. I

saw the actual flag that had flown above Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. At the National Art

Museum, I saw several famous works of art from various European nations and the United

States. I do not know much about art, but it was still fun to see at least some of the famous

paintings.

This entire week after work, I have been slaving away at the final draft of my policy

paper. On Saturday the 26th, I finished most of it. The amount of work I have put into this paper

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is tremendous and I am excited to finish it early next week. This summer has been amazing and

has gone by unbelievably fast. It is hard to believe that I have only one week left now.

XIV. Week 13: July 26 – August 2, 2014

I continued working on my paper on Sunday July 27, and began work on the oral

presentation I had to give. Even though I gave a 15-minute oral presentation on my internship

experience at the end of June, I feel more nervous for this one. I am not sure why this is the case.

Monday, July 28 was the start of my last week of work. I was looking forward to getting

lunch with Senator Portman again, as I had done with the first session of interns in mid-June.

However, I was told I had to stay to cover the phones while the other interns met with the

Senator. This was incredibly disappointing.

Monday was also the day that my father was in town for a business trip. He met me by

the Canadian embassy and we went to a Brazilian steakhouse called Fogo de Chão. This was a

phenomenal dining experience. Customers pay $53 for endless salad and meat. Waiters bring the

meat to the table and carve it in front of the customers. I had a huge amount of wonderful food

and it was great spending time with my dad. We walked over to the White House to take pictures

after dinner. It was great to see him, but it is strange to think that I will be moving back to

Cincinnati in just a few days.

Thursday, July 31 was my last day of work. I had a great experience working for Senator

Portman this summer. He has a great staff and it was hard to say goodbye. Sadly, I was unable to

thank the Senator personally. All of the staff was sad to see me go and thanked me for doing

such a wonderful job this summer. As I left the Russell Building for the last time that evening, I

felt both a sense of great joy in my accomplishment, but also sadness in that my wonderful

experience was over.

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On Thursday night, our class had the first round of policy paper presentations. Everyone

did a wonderful job, but I was more worried about mine the next morning. When I woke up on

Friday, I could not eat anything, I was so nervous. However, after I presented, everyone said I

did a fantastic job. I was relieved to be finished with such a gargantuan project.

Shortly after the end of the presentations, my roommate had to leave to return to

Cleveland. Of all the roommates I have had in college thus far, he has been the best and is the

only one I was actually sad to see leave. I will definitely keep in touch with him in Columbus.

On Friday night, I went to a party with the other interns from Senator Portman’s office.

They all told me what a joy it was to work alongside me. We all promised to keep in touch,

although part of me thinks that I will never see them again. It was sad when I finally left around

midnight to go pack.

On Saturday August 2, my parents arrived to take me back to Cincinnati. I was happy to

see them, and they helped me clean my apartment before we began the eight-hour drive back

home. As the Washington Monument receded into the distance, I thought of all the amazing

experiences I had this summer. One day I will return to this great city.

XV. Conclusion

I have now been back in Cincinnati for 17 days. Living in Washington, D.C., this summer

was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Without the STEP Grant and other scholarships

I received from both Ohio State and private donors, I would not have been able to have such an

awesome adventure. I would recommend both WAIP and STEP to any other Ohio State student.

The experience I had was life changing.