Week 4

It seems surreal that we are on our last week here in D.C. Being in this city has definitely been a humbling experience and I am grateful that I was given this opportunity. From meeting the guest speakers to visiting congressmen and senators, I have more of an insight of the “every day” life of politics. It has been refreshing to meet people that are trying to push for change within democracy and challenge the “system.” I enjoyed each speaker in their own way but my favorite speakers were Dane Strother, Mike McCurry, Rob Rehg and Maxwell Hamilton. Each of these speakers brought a different and enlightening perspective to the program that I found beneficial for everyone to hear. Each of them were also from different political fields and partisanship that I thought brought a great diversity to the overtly liberal views from other speakers. I enjoyed how these speakers did not harp on partisanship but focused on telling us about their job and past experiences.  Jack was telling us about past classes who did not care for the amount of speakers brought in and would have preferred more “class” time. I disagree with that statement and think even more speakers would be interesting just to hear from more people within the field of communication. I think more classes should be structured how this class was, especially in grad school. I found it very beneficial to hear first hand from people within our field about their experiences and their personal advice. I think that is a factor that is lacking within the graduate program. Although I do think learning methods and theories are extremely important, I also think it is important to network and learn form people within the field.

This past week was definitely one of my favorite weeks from the program. I loved going to a National’s game and experiencing my first major league baseball game. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to route for the winning team. Of course my favorite part of the game was the president’s race, which I know Jack hates. It’s mindless and entertaining, what’s not to love. The bus trip was also a night I will never forget. It was a night full of interesting costumes, songs and conversation. Shout-out to Meghan for setting that up for us. All in all, I am sad to leave D.C., but I am excited to return home and see my family and friends. This is definitely an experience I will never forget and cherish for the rest of my life. The people here really made all of the difference. I’ll end my blog on a positive note and give a list a few of my favorite things from the program with one being at the top of my list.

1. Night tour of the Capitol with Garrett Graves
2. Researching in the Library of Congress
3. National’s game
4. Smithsonian Postal Museum
5.  Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

I want to thank both Jack and Meghan for this unforgettable experience and all that they did for us while we were here in the city!

Until next time D.C.

~Brit