Don’t Worry, Everything Is Going To Be All Right

As I write this blog post, I currently have 7 days left in DC. SEVEN! Where did the time go? I am not one to reflect on my experiences, but as my time here comes to end that’s all I seem to be doing. At the beginning of the summer, I had so many expectations. I wondered what this entire experience would be like. How were the other students? Would I like my internship? Was the heat as really bad as people were saying? Could I learn to ride the metro? I mean I was literally so worried about what this journey would be like, and little did I know that everything was going to be all right.

Everyone here in DC is moving with a purpose. Everyone has dreams to change the world, and while I spoke about that being overwhelming in my last blog post, I definitely wouldn’t have it any other way. Although class was sometimes hard and I didn’t do half the things I wanted to do while I was here, it all worked out. My fellow WAIPers and I came here to be one step closer to accomplishing our career goals. How could we propel ourselves to the next phase of our lives? Network a little harder. Read a little more. While I agree DC was the perfect place to be for this, some times the best thing to do is to just sit back and not worry. Everything is going to be all right.

I would say the informational interviews and study tours were my absolute favorite part of the program. I always learned something new even when I didn’t think I was going to. The one thing I took away from every informational interview and every study tour was as long as you follow your dreams for something you are truly passionate about, everything is going to be all right.

I know the feeling of feeling like your behind and need to get your life in order.. that is totally me! Beyond a doubt! However, what I heard a lot in my informational interviews was that I was doing everything that I needed to do and I was well on my way to success. As high achieving young adults that we WAIPers are, we rarely take time to appreciate how far we’ve come. As my time here in DC is coming to an end, I am just simply appreciating how far I have come in just 12 weeks. My advice to future WAIPers would be, just continue what you have been doing. Continue to have new hopes and dreams. Stay ambitious! You’ve made it this far for a reason so don’t give up. Just know in the end, everything is going to be all right.

Here’s just a few of my favorite moments from this summer.

Outside of the White House. 

View of the National Mall from the Washington Monument

Singing Carmen with new incoming Buckeyes at the DC Alumni Club Summer Send-off. 

Just a photo with the best roomies and the best view in DC at the Excellence in Public Service Event.

--Kierra Ross 

DISCLAIMER: this is very cheesy, though very true

As I sit and reflect on my crazy, stressful and amazing summer in Washington D.C., what sticks out to me as the one thing that will have a truly lasting impact on my life are the amazing people I have met and the friends I have made in my time here. Let me preface by saying that the city itself is great. I have loved every minute of exploring the White House, and the National Mall and the multitude of delicious dining experiences here. I would not trade my experience with this city for anything, and I can say without a doubt that I will be back here as soon as possible. But with that said, I will leave DC with the upmost opinion of the people who live here and the people I have met here and become friends with. The friends I made in this program are the most interesting, dedicated, and driven people I have met in my time in college, and I feel so lucky to know them.  Each person in this program has a real passion, and has followed it to Washington to explore and to learn and to push the boundaries. Everyday I’ve spent learning about their goals and their drive has motivated me to further my own. It’s hard to be surrounded by intelligent and passionate people and not feel inspired. We’ve worked our butts off this summer, and we had a lot of fun doing it.

Washington D.C. really is a city of “movers” and that’s why this is the place where things happen. After three months living around the most influential people in the country, both inspiring and powerful figureheads, and friends, I am leaving DC with a renewed enthusiasm to pursue my goals and to never let anything deter me from trying to make the world a better place. My advice to future WAIPers is this: Pay attention to the people around you. Notice their dreams and their drive and let them inspire your own. If others can achieve their highest ideals then so can you.

-Shelby Berger

A Hidden Gem in D.C. Aviation

Washington has a number of aviation-related destinations and activities to offer. The most prominent is the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, a free-to-enter staple on the National Mall that consistently ranks amongst the most visited museums in the world.

 

Slightly less known is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex to the aforementioned Air and Space Museum that is located out at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The Udvar-Hazy Center holds a number of aircraft that are either extra or cannot fit in the museum on the Mall, including the Enola Gay (which dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan), the space shuttle Discovery, and a first-generation satellite.

For those willing to head off the beaten path, however, there is also Gravelly Point. A small park nestled just north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Gravelly Point offers the unique opportunity to sit and hang out while a variety of airplanes coming in for landing right above your head. The incredibly low passes of the airplanes offers a great opportunity for neat pictures as well – below is a sample of a couple pictures others have taken, as well as a video in order to give a better idea of the experience you are in for should you take a day to venture to Gravelly Point. I highly recommend it!

 

 

 

 

Until next time,

 

- Max

 

From the Inside Looking Out

The People’s House, the Castle, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…whatever you want to call it, we visited the White House! The early morning tour last Wednesday was everything I hoped it would be. After going through some pretty tight security, we exited the staging area, and suddenly, to the left was the House that we had all been standing in line to see. It’s definitely a sensory overload – there are beautiful gardens on either side of the entrance, and the first hall you enter is decorated with beautiful wood paneling, and leads to another hallway through which you can see the gardens, the fountain, and the fence behind which I stood every other time I had visited the House. It was absolutely amazing to be on the other side of it. 

The first hallway of the tour features photos from famous moments in the history of the Presidency, and leads into an entryway that was the original entryway to the White House (thank you to someone else’s guided tour for telling me that). There, we saw cabinets full of Presidential china sets, artwork that presidents had owned, and a few sitting rooms and libraries. There was also a wooden movable divider that Katy, our coordinator, told me is a makeshift wall that the President and First Lady use to get around the East Wing unseen during tours. Then: up the stairs to the most beautiful parts of the tour. The marble stairway was uneven because of all the people who have used it over the years, and it fed into a beautiful dining room with golden walls, carpets and drapes.

After that was the Green room, the Red room, the Blue room, the State Dining room, and the famous Entrance Hall, with portraits of past presidents adorning the walls, a red carpet running down the length of the floor, and to the left, the large front doors through which I imagine every important person has entered the House. To the right, directly across from the front doors, was a door with the Presidential seal above it that WAIP got a great photo in front of!

When we exited through the front door, I could see the garden, the lawn, the fountain, and the Washington Monument - a view I'm sure every President has looked upon every day.

I cannot believe that I was able to experience that, and hopefully I’ll be back one day…but my dream would be to do so as an employee. Maybe someday it’ll come true!

-Sarah Hudacek

The Homestretch

These last six weeks have been a whirlwind. In the midst of all the craziness, there were a few highlights:

Baltimore

An avid fan of The Wire, I was SO excited to have the chance to visit Baltimore. I took a class this past semester that used The Wire's depiction of Baltimore as a case study for analyzing the political landscape of American cities and the challenges they face (It was called City Politics and if any of you have the chance to take it, DO IT), so I was really looking forward to exploring the city myself. We spent a significant part of the trip touring the ship yards and nearby offices with Customs and Border Protection, which was actually way more interesting than I had anticipated it to be. The logistics of what goes into protecting the US from fraudulent, illegal, dangerous, or otherwise sketchy items from getting past American borders every day is really astounding. After our tour, we were treated to a seafood feast of the best crab, crab dip, and crab cake sliders that Maryland has to offer. Being the foodie that I am, this was definitely a highlight.

 Honestly, I was pretty infatuated with Baltimore. It's not the most beautiful city by conventional standards, but it has a unique character to it that I found to be very inviting. As someone who aspires to work in community development and city planning in the future, Baltimore struck me as a place full of possibilities and opportunity. I have a feeling Baltimore hasn't quite seen the last of me just yet.

SCOTUS & the Marriage Equality Decision

" It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right...It is so ordered.”

- Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy  

On June 26th, the Supreme Court of the United States issued their landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. This decision granted the right to all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation, the rights and benefits of marriage under the eyes of the law. This decision holds very personal meaning for myself and a number of my closest friends, and the opportunity to be a part of this joy-filled day in American history is something I cannot describe but will never forget. Elaine (a fellow WAIP-er & my roommate from back home) and I passed by SCOTUS on the morning of the announcement, on our way to our study tour of the Federal Reserve, before the decision was released. We watched as hundreds of people began to gather at the steps of the Supreme Court building holding rainbow flags, and appropriately covered head-to-toe in HRC attire. Upon our arrival at the Federal Reserve, we heard the news that the Court had ruled in favor of marriage equality, and we were overjoyed. We knew we had some time before our next study tour of the day (at the EU, which was really cool btw) to make a break for SCOTUS and join in the celebration, if only for an hour or so. 

When we finally arrived on Capitol Hill, the scene was like nothing I've experienced before; it was collective, palpable jubilance. We were, after all, celebrating a historic victory. Elaine and I ran to the steps and erupted into tears of joy as we jumped up-and-down, hugging each other. People were singing, cheering, crying, and laughing. Journalists and photographers scrambled to gather quotes and photos of those celebrating (myself and Elaine included!) However, in such a triumphant day, it was still necessary to remember the crucial victories yet to be won. But when I look back and reflect on that day, I cannot help but smile at the thought that I'll one day be able to tell my children and grandchildren that I was there. I was on the steps of the Supreme Court on the day that five justices ruled in defense of equality, love, and human rights for all Americans. June 26th very well may have been the coolest day of my life thus far.

Monuments at night

One of my more recent DC highlights was an outing I took with one of my friends and fellow interns from the Department of Education ("the ED"). After a long day of exploring the city on my own, my friend Ernest asked if I would join him in exploring the Mall after dark. We started out at the Lincoln Memorial. We then ventured on to the Korean War, World War II, and MLK Jr. Memorials. I had actually never had the chance to visit the MLK Memorial, even in the day time, but it was truly spectacular at night. The quotes by Dr. King,  illuminated on the stone walls lining the memorial will give anyone goosebumps, and the view of the Potomac and Jefferson Memorial are breathtaking. 

Ernest had asked me to pose and take this photo of him (on the right), which is a recreation of President Obama's iconic silhouette in front of the MLK Memorial at night (on the left). Ernest was so excited when we finally got the shot, as President Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. are both major role models for him. 

Our last stop of the evening was the Washington Monument, where Ernest was nice enough to help me capture this awesome series of pictures at the foot of the monument. O-H!

(The monuments really are spectacular at night. If you have the chance to visit them after dark while you're in DC, I highly recommend doing so! It's a totally different experience than seeing them in the daytime.)

As my summer with WAIP comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on everything that I've learned this summer. I've learned a lot about professional development and what it takes to work as a public servant. I've learned how to live in a big city, navigate the Metro, and circumvent DC prices (as well as I possible could. Eek. It's so expensive here!).  But what stands out most prominently in my mind is how much I've learned about myself. I'm going to be honest; this summer was hard. In fact, it was easily one of the most challenging experiences I've ever encountered. But in those challenges I also found lots of opportunity to get to know myself better and reflect on a realistic image of my future and what I plan to do with it. If I had to do it over again, sure, there may be a few things I would do differently. But ultimately, I'm grateful for all of the opportunities and life lessons that my summer in Washington DC had to offer.

-Colleen Craig

Small Town and Small Plates

In a city where no one is truly from, the food can’t be truly local. While there are gastronomical staples like Ben’s Chili Bowl and Georgetown Cupcake, which are as wonderful as they were advertised, they aren’t what make food in the District memorable. The real thing that makes the D.C. food culture shine is that there is no food that is “Typical D.C.”

The variety of ethnic foods could keep a foodie busy for weeks. Within walking distance from the GAO I had some of the best Ramen, Pad Tai, Greek, Sushi, and Spanish I’ve ever tasted. That’s not to mention the battalion on food trucks that are stationed outside of Government buildings across the city.

The thing that D.C. does right beyond the variety of ethnics flavor, which I hope would catch on in the Midwest is the small plate. At first I was hesitant of paying 8 bucks for something I thought I could scarf down in 2 minutes, but the flavor of these dishes are more full and developed than an entire entrée could hope to be. What’s more, by the time your taste buds start to understand what was going on and get bored, you’ve eaten half the plate and your friends have polished off the rest. While that may sound tragic, the fact that the table can expect a showering of additional plates makes the meal adventuresses. Getting to taste 5 or 10 dishes takes the cake (or flan, or homemade ice cream, or lava brownie).

            Two meals strike me as the most memorable. The first being a brunch at Mesa 14. While at first I was shocked that I just agreed to a 40 dollar all you can eat (and drink) brunch I was blown away by the food. The meals all had an Asian and Latin fusion flavor with ingredients that I never would have thought to combine and I may not have had the courage to order if I had not already paid a sunk cost. My favorite was the Pork Belly Benedict with a Spiced Curry Potato and Chipotle Hollandaise Sauce.

            The other meal that blew me away was the most incredible broth I’ve ever tasted at Diakaya during my traditional intern lunch with my colleagues at GAO. I thought ramen as a 99 cent salty packet. I never could have imagined how savory a proper broth could be, or how perfectly chewy I should expect a good Asian noodle. I’d also like to extend an honorable mention to Zaytinya. Once I get a full time job in D.C. I’m going to have to be careful to not eat myself poor and make sure I can the pay rent!

 

            The other thing I've loved about D.C. is the fact that so many important people are working to do some many important things. Between all of this though these high octane individuals are willing to take a part out of their day to meet with young blood. I've done over a dozen informational interviews and learned something from each one about career planning and where I see my future experiences and education going. Its incredible how small life is within the beltway as well. I've mentioned certain people I've met with to other people kind enough to give me an informational interview and found that they happened to know others in my network. No on may be from D.C. but the work they do brings them together.

 

-Josh Ferencik

 

Looking back

Looking back on all the things I have done, how can I go back to the way things were before?

When I accepted the offer in the winter to study and work as a Glenn Fellow this summer, I had no idea what I was signing up for. In 10 weeks and 21 credits (I had to double up with online courses), I was able to make millions-and millions of memories with new found friends in this brilliant city. And man, did it fly by!

And yet, as I write my last post, I am sitting in my springy twin bed listening to Shelby snore as I think about the missed opportunities I had this summer-while I napped, or watched Netflix, or was just to lazy to get out of bed after work from being so exhausted.

ADVICE TO FUTURE WAIPERS: DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN 1 EXTRA CLASS IF YOU NEED TO!

I know I needed to double up to graduate on time, but it did lead me to miss out on some amazing things my fellow WAIP roommates and classmates got to do on their spare time. Reading their blog posts makes me a little sad; they got to go to Annapolis, try every single cupcake in D.C., locate the best food trucks, try out new work out classes, find the best rooftop bar, and explore old Alexandria. I could have done these things if I pushed myself, but being overwhelmed makes me very, very sleepy……

ADVICE TO FUTURE WAIPERS: UTILIZE 5 HOUR ENERGY AND COFFEE!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I had the best time of my life this summer. In ten short weeks, I was able to: go to the eastern market every weekend, try out new foods (I like peaches a lot), explore all the Smithsonian museums, attend study tours at some amazing places, do 15+ informational interviews, go to jazz in the garden, witness the marriage equality decision, attend my first pride parade, and go inside the white house- twice! These experiences gave me a taste of all that DC has to offer, and have led me to one conclusion… I. Must. Come. Back.

I am forever changed by WAIP. I am better in every way because of the things I have done this summer, and I cannot begin to express the gratitude I have for everyone who has helped me grow as a person. As I return to Columbus, I will take a new found pride of Washington DC with me, and a new found me.