My DC Story

David Weinraub

My DC Story

            As my time in DC comes to a close, I find this to be the perfect time to reflect on all of things that I have accomplished and learned over these past fifteen weeks. Let me start by saying that it boggles my mind how quickly this semester flew by and frankly that is because my semester here in DC as part of the WAIP program was a once in a lifetime experience that I would not trade for anything. That said, I’d like to take you on an overview of my time in DC and give you some tips on how to have the best possible semester.

             I started out as student who was very aware of what I wanted to do and even had a decent grasp of how I wanted to get there, but I found transitioning from full time student to full time professional was the hard part. Luckily that was something my internship at the Council for Court Excellence was able to help me with; they were able to provide me a substantial workday that allowed me to grow as a professional. Whether it was writing up minutes or actually writing up reports that would be published, I was always learning something new, and that is exactly what I wanted from my time here. The same thing goes for the coffees that I had with nine amazing people who gave me a million new ideas on how to achieve my goals. This leads me to the first recommendation for future WAIPers, always be willing to listen, learn, and adjust because if you are willing to do all three of these things not only will DC change your life but you will also be able to handle anything that comes your way. 

            Of course, not everything in DC was about work; there were plenty of opportunities for fun and exploring the city. The trick was that you had to find the time to do it, time management was a huge part of my learning experience here in DC.  I found myself juggling work and work commitments, school, contact meetings and a social life.  Learning how to achieve a balance was one of the best skills I acquired from my participation in the WAIP program.  From study tours that took me everywhere from the Pentagon to the State Department to weekends of exploring and going to basketball games, baseball games, museums, waterfronts, plus so many other places too numerous to list. I was able to do all of these things plus go to the gym for a couple of hours at least five days a week, go to work, go to class, and do the work for class because of the skills provided to me by being part of the WAIP program.  Now this is the part where I tell you that in DC, there are many things to do and it may be overwhelming at times but with proper time management and a strong work ethic, it can be done. I wake up every morning around six and take that time to relax so that when I come home late at night I can work a little bit on my assignments. In addition on the weekends, I’m not averse to just sitting down for a few hours and getting ahead in my coursework to ensure that I am never waiting until the last minute to finish an assignment. All of this worked very well for me and I never really felt too overwhelmed by all the work, and my recommendation for future WAIP participants is to manage your time wisely, do not procrastinate, do the work, and get it done so that you are free to do the things that you want to when you want to.

            Overall, my semester in DC was great and I have gained an immense amount of life experience from being here. I have been able to grow professionally, personally and have been able to develop even better working habits. My final advice to future WAIPers is to embrace your time in the District. Do everything that you want to do and let nothing stop you, shoot for the stars, and do everything in your power to reach them. Most importantly do not go home with any regrets because as I said earlier, this is a once in a lifetime chance. So enjoy the next semester.  It will be an amazing experience that you will always be able to look back on as something that defined your life, good luck.