Ohio around the Capitol

Given that we have been here in DC for about three months now, it is high time for me to get homesick. To curb my sadness, I looked up all the places Ohio is represented in the Capitol. And let me tell you, I was shocked by the sheer number of times Ohio is in the spotlight. The photos below capture just a few places Ohio is highlighted around the Capitol. 

The top left is a statue of President Grant who rides on the west lawn of the Capitol. Below him the status of President Garfield who represents Ohio in the Capitol Rotunda. The Ohio Clock that chimes outside the Senate chamber may or may not have been used to hide alcohol during prohibition. The Wright Brothers and their Wright flyer are the final scene in the Freeze of American History, which wraps completely around the inside of the Capitol dome and depicts real scenes throughout the history of this great nation in chronological order. Fun fact: the Freeze begins with Christopher COLUMBUS discovering the new world, so I kind of count that as a win for Ohio too--given our capital city bears his name. The photo on the bottom right is the view of the Capitol from the west lawn.. nothing especially Ohio there, but beautiful nonetheless. 

This view of the west lawn of the Capitol, the National Mall, and the Washington monument was taken from Speaker of the House, and Ohioan, John Boehner's balcony.

And last, but certainly not least, is this picture of myself and my fellow interns from Rep. Pat Tiberi's office showing our Buckeye Pride on the steps outside the Capitol.

- Tori Edwards - 

Budget Cuts? No Problem.

            For many interns, there inevitably comes a point when the large number that used to be your bank account, not only diminishes, but ceases to exist all together. While this can be mentally deteriorating for some, it can be an enlightening experience for others. Though change is often easier said than done (just ask President Obama), sometimes it is necessary in order to start solving the problem(s) at hand. For me, this change came in the form of self-imposed budget cuts. With very little money available for the last two weeks of the summer semester, I was forced to do more with less. Thus, I felt that documenting my experiences could be a useful tool for interns faced with similar dilemmas in the future.

            Several times during my self-imposed sequestration, I questioned the necessity of the purchases that I was making. Listed below are some of the inquiries and solutions that should go through an intern’s head while trying to save valuable cash:

Out of shampoo? Yeah right! The correct mix of hand soap and dishwashing liquid beats shampoo every day of the week.

Can’t afford the to buy The Roberts Court for class? Read your roommate’s copy while he’s sleeping.

90 degrees with 200% humidity in DC and you’re dying to ride the Metro (w/ AC) home from work? Well, with only 90 bucks left in your checking account, there’s a 200% chance that walking 45 minutes home is cheaper. Lucky you.

Out of paper towels? Well, Chipotle has unlimited napkins.

Need a haircut? No, you don’t need a haircut, you need to be a trendsetter and rock the shaggy look.

Your suits desperately need dry-cleaning? False. Sweaty smelling suits build character.

Oh, your fridge is leaking and you want to hire a repairman to fix it? Save the money and just ask WISH to do it. And by that, I mean put in a maintenance request and never hear from them again. You’ll get used to the leak and its odor after a while.

Owe Blaire a lot of money? Smile and hug her until she forgets about it.

Out of laundry detergent? Little-known fact, hand soap and dishwashing liquid work here, too.

Need toothpaste for the last few days? You can get a box of eclipse gum for even cheaper!

Need bags to get your groceries home from the store? Save the five cents per bag and use a suitcase. It’d not visually appealing, but it allows you to reinvest your accumulated 30-cent savings somewhere else.

Dying for some gourmet Applebee’s? Eat Ramen noodles while staring at your computer screen after you’ve Googled “Pictures of Applebee’s Boneless Wings.” Does the trick every time.

Receipt from one of the many $4 lunches I had this summer, cutting down from the usual $8. Still upset with myself for going one cent over budget.

            Although these are just suggestions and I do NOT personally endorse any of them (except hugging Blaire), I think they are good thoughts to be aware of when you’re low on money and need places to save. Hope this is helpful for any future interns looking to cut back.

-Pat Lipaj

ATTENTION HILLTERNS: Undercover Summer DC Essentials

So, you're headed to DC for the summer for twelve long weeks of interning on (or near) The Hill, gorging on bottomless brunches, imaging that you're networking with senators and top lobbyists and crying over your dwindling bank account. Congratulations! You're in for a fun semester of valuable life experiences and new friendships. You're also in for a lot of surprises. Get prepared for 88' days that feel  like 120' and leave you dripping with sweat by the time you're in your office at 8:45am. Start prepping for sore feet that you can barely manage to kick up at the end of a long day. Below is a list of five essentials that you might not think to bring to DC, but you will most definitely need:

Insoles or GREAT walking shoes: I am understating with the word "great." You will be walking around on the weekend to visit the monuments and jogging to the metro in the mornings. No one wants to be the one walking around in heels or stiff dress shoes who's holding all their friends back. But don't be the kid wearing highlighter green Nikes with his navy business suit. I recommend Sperry's or cute sandals with good arch support.

Humidity-Proof Hairspray: There's not much else to say about that. A swampy climate equals a bad hair day. Take care of it.

A Humble Attitude: DC is full of people who graduated at the top of their class, started non-profits at 20 years old, and can recite the Constitution backwards. Sure, we're all big shots at school, but as an unpaid intern in a prestigious city that doesn't really matter. Ask people questions and listen to their story. If you sit down with someone and are genuinely interested in what they have to say and curious about their path, they will be much more interested in hearing about yours and helping you out. Don't try to sell yourself to everyone.

Some Extra Cash: If you still have time before you leave, start saving up now. Having a few hundred dollars in extra cash will save you so many times here. While $75 a week from your parents, scholarship, or part-time job might seem like enough to cover food, you never know when you'll spill coffee on your white suit coat or break your sandal strap and need an extra $40 to buy a new one. Having some backup savings will do wonders in this situation. That said, if you don't have to save up, use a smartphone app or a good, old-fashioned notebook to start a weekly budget. Stick to it, and leave yourself an extra fifteen bucks for an unexpected happy hour meeting with a visiting friend or dinner with your roommates.

A Steamer: There's not much worse to try to get out the door at 8:40 for your 9:00 job and realizing your shirt wrinkled up overnight. Buy a cheap steamer on Amazon so you can take care of it in half the time of ironing.

Metro Etiquette and Some Spring in Your Step: People in DC have places to be, and even if they don't they want you to think they do. If you're walking slow, people will speed by you and roll their eyes, and no one wants to feel like the annoying tourist. Additionally, there's nothing that says "summer intern" like standing on the left side of the escalator. Stand on the right, walk on the left. And don't get in peoples' way.

No you're set to make your way in the crazy pace of DC. Even though you'll want to look like a cool native, remember that very few people are actually DC natives and that (secretly) interns run half this city. And don't be shy about taking your picture at the Washington Monument. Everyone does it at some point.

Leah

My Run-in with the Secret Services

Unlike most cities in the Midwest, Washington D.C. is constantly under high-level surveillance in order to protect members of Congress and the president. On almost every street corner there are cameras or policemen looking for suspicious activity and interns can't even walk outside the Congressional without spotting a cop car.

I understand the need for high security in a town where some of the world’s most powerful men and women live and work. President Obama would not be safe without the the protection of the Secret Service and he probably would never be able to leave the White House. 

I never really viewed myself a threat to the President and the people of Washington, but that all changed after a little run-in with the Secret Service. During my time here, I just considered myself your average summer intern looking to have fun in a new city and to learn about jobs in the government. Unfortunately, my status as an innocent intern quickly changed one afternoon when I was making preparations for an event in the Ronald Reagan Building.

This summer I interned with MCHIP (Maternal and Child Health Program) which is a USAID-funded project that seeks to improve maternal and child health in the developing world. The six-year, $600 million grant with USAID happened to be coming to a close during my internship and I was granted the opportunity to help the communications team prepare for a close-out event that disseminated information on the successes and challenges of the program to the various government health leaders and others from the global health community. 

The communications team had been planning for this major event for months and the day before the event, my supervisor instructed me to go to the Ronald Reagan Building in order to set up all of our materials that would be needed the following day. I had to bring about 20 boxes full of reports on MCHIP and other documents that were going to be passed out to attendees at the event. 

When I arrived to the Ronald Reagan Building, I was immediately questioned by the Secret Service. In many buildings in Washington it is standard procedure to go through a security checkpoint, but I was shocked that I was approached by the Secret Service, especially since I was not near the White House. The Secret Service men told me that all boxes had to go through a special screening process before I could enter the building, but never explicitly told me that the real reason I could not just carry the boxes through security was because President Obama was going to be making an appearance later in the day.

I was incredibly aggravated because Secret service men were not being compromising at all. I explained to them that MCHIP had the event planned for months, but no one from the Ronald Reagan Building had let my team know how to properly enter the building. They ignored my pleas and told me I had to stand next to the boxes until further notice. Eventually my supervisor was able to convince them that we were not a security threat, but just an innocent communications team trying to prepare for an event. 

 After everything was set up, I ran out of the Ronald Reagan Building and headed towards a policy forum with the Glenn School on the other side of town. My run-in with the Secret Service made an simple task that was only supposed to last about 15 minutes, take about 2 hours which almost made me late for the policy forum. Luckily, I managed to attend the event for about 5 minutes and ran into Dr. Scott on my way in to tell him the reason I was late was because of the President.

I can confidently say that I will never underestimate the power of security in Washington after this incident. 

Rebecca Sheldon 

Paris Hilltern’s This or That

 Hi. It’s me again, your favorite yo-pro.  And since I’m continuing with this theme of public service this summer, I’ve decided to make sure you all have the best experience possible and don’t waste any of your precious time while you’re here in Washington, D.C.  Without further ado, I present Paris Hilltern’s This or That.  You’re welcome.

Lyft./Uber vs. Traditional Taxis

So obviously I’m not a huge fan of the Metro. Like ugh so much dirt, so many peasants.  No thank you.  But I’m also not going to be caught dead in a cab…that horrid yellow color really washes me out.  My solution is the new trend of personal taxi services, such as Lyft and Uber.  Both have an app to show you the drivers in your area, and once you hit “request” one is on its way to your location.  It’s way faster than a taxi because they come to you, instead of you flagging them down, which I obviously prefer because everyone knows my time is kind of in high demand.  The busier the city, the more drivers the companies have aka it’s totes perf for D.C.!  The rates are generally cheaper than that of a traditional taxi service, too.  Bonus, now you have more money to spend on cupcakes!

Baked and Wired vs. Georgetown Cupcake

Speaking of cupcakes.  Actually… who am I kidding?  Everyone is speaking of cupcakes nowadays; they’re so trendy.  Naturally one of my first stops in D.C. was to Georgetown Cupcake, because like, they’re on T.V. and since I’ll probably be on T.V. too eventually, I thought I’d better introduce myself so it’s not awk when I run into Kath and Sophie at the Emmy’s.  But I think all those television lights have been really drying out their cute little cakes.  I was for sure underwhelmed.  Not overwhelmed, or just whelmed (like you can be in Europe), but actually underwhelmed.  Just down the street, though, was another cupcakery, known as Baked and Wired.  I’m willing to overlook it’s “hipster” vibe because my (pardonnez mon français) Pretty Bitchin’ peanut butter cupcake was…pretty witchin’.  So while the pink flowers of Georgetown Cupcake may lure in the yopros, the seasoned Georgetownians know better.  So next time you need a cute cupcake to liven up your Instagram, head to Baked and Wired because you’ll actually want to eat it after you filter it. 

Ooops gotta go! My Lyft’s here! I’m so late for Jazz in the Garden! 

Tata my trendy yopros! 

Xoxo,

Paris Hilltern

(AnnMarie Graham)

Arne & His Interns

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a lunch with the United States Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.  This guy is the head honcho for not only me, a lowly intern, but for everyone I work with, and all of their supervisors too.  The Big Cheese in the Department of Education, I had only heard rumors of his existence before this day.  People speak very highly of him around my office, and I have been told repeatedly over the summer that if I get the chance, I should definitely try to meet him or at least hear him speak. 

Lo and behold, the intern program coordinator, De’Rell, who is a former intern himself, organized this event to make both of those things happen (shout out to you, De’Rell. I know you’re reading this.)  Secretary Duncan spoke to all of the ED interns and took their questions for almost a full hour in the main auditorium at the Lyndon B. Johnson building, the Department’s headquarters.  This is very unusual for the Secretary, as he is known for preparing statements beforehand and only taking questions that he has seen in advance, sticking to a carefully crafted script.  I guess he thinks there are some things in ED that are better left unsaid. 

But on this occasion, he was totally candid and eager to spend time with all of us young professionals, the YoPros, the summer interns.  There are about 100 of us overall, spread out through different offices within the Department, and we first went around and gave him our basic information--name, interning office, and what school we attend (Go Bucks...duh!)-- which made the atmosphere more personal than if we were just attending another speech by the Secretary.  Secretary Duncan insists that people call him by his first name, and wasn’t afraid to remind people of that as they asked their questions.

 He gave us a brief background on his life and how he got to where he is today, but then opened the floor to questions.  People asked everything ranging from how he is planning on combating sexual assault on college campuses, to what his plan is for reigning in skyrocketing student debt, to what his greatest challenge as Secretary has been so far.  Arne is an enthusiastic and engaging speaker, and he even asked for intern input when he found a question addressed a particularly difficult problem.  All of the questions he took into careful consideration before answering them in a sincere and thoughtful way.  He was quick to show his appreciation for all of the interns and even took the time to take a picture with each of us after he was done speaking, because he’s basically a celebrity I guess.  I have yet to see this photograph, but I’ve been told it supposedly will be sent to me digitally and in snail mail format.   

I wish I could have spoken to the Secretary for a more extended period of time, but I’m sure from our brief interaction I made a lasting impression.  Okay…definitely not, but it was still great to meet him!  I consider it to be my little brush with D.C. fame for the day.  This is only one of several events that the Department of Education interns were able to attend over the summer, but this was my favorite.  Aside from being an education policy professional, I’ve been told Arne is also a great basketball player.  He was captain of the Harvard basketball team during his time there and even earned first team Academic All-American honors.  So next time I meet him, I’ll have to take him on in a little game of b-ball before we talk about education policy.

Ignore the girl's large head in front of me...Secretary Duncan is speaking!



Arne ballin' back in the day at Harvard

 

 

-Ellie LeBuhn

 



 

While you’re living and working in Washington, D.C. for only three months it can be overwhelming to really get to know a city that is full of so many things to see and do! As the summer comes to a close, I can successfully say that I saw only a fraction of the awesome things that this city has to offer. However, the reason I experienced such a wonderful fraction was because I chose to experience D.C. through something I love – running. This summer I set a goal to run 100 miles in Washington and while I was (quite literally) chasing that goal, I gained so much more along the way. I ran my 100^th mile on Sunday night and inadvertently finished it with the most beautiful view. Instead of boring you with my rambling for the rest of this blog post, I want to share some of the fun things I saw over my 100 miles this summer!

This is a picture of the Capitol that I took from the mall on my first night in Washington. It's crazy that this was almost 3 months ago! 

One of the first times I accosted a stranger to take a picture of me after a run. I hope Abraham Lincoln didn't mind the sweat…

Even the Capitol Police horses need some water. The horse on the right nuzzled me every time I tried to get a drink of water. By far the best water break I ever took this summer!
 (Needless to say, these horses are now my best friends for life.)

By far the most fitting picture I took with my running shoes on.  I wish I would have explored running downtown a little more! 

Sometimes it rains. And it's always fun - as long as you prepare and keep your phone in a ziplock bag.

Mile 100. On the bridge to Arlington with the Lincoln Memorial behind me.  
Pro Tip: Ask the stranger taking your picture to count down…or just make this face like me.

To anyone coming to D.C. for one day or for a lifetime, I wholeheartedly recommend that you pick something you love, whether it be theatre, food, architecture, or whatever else, and find a way to experience Washington through that passion. I guarantee you will not regret it!

Next time I come to D.C. I'm probably going to do a Dunkin' Donuts tour of the city…and maybe I'll run a few more miles for good measure.

- Tori Mahoney