The best 112 days of my life

From a small town girl to a young professional living on Capitol Hill right in the middle of it all.

Taking it back to the first day in Washington D.C. for Orientation day 1 I never ever thought I would be where I am today. I was scared of the metro system, I didn’t like giving presentations, I didn’t like crowds, and I was a nervous wreck thinking I will never get city living down. Nonetheless within a week I had it down. This is just one example of how quick we are to underestimate ourselves. Never underestimate yourself. Believe and have faith in everything you do.

The last 4 months have been an amazing part of my life, not only did I live in D.C a whole semester but I stepped out of my comfort zone and took on this opportunity.

I was living in the middle of Washington D.C. where it all happens and I saw things I would never see in the small town of West Unity. I was the new girl on the block who had no idea where anything was or how anything worked in the city life. I was that girl who would be walking and wonder if I was going the right way…then I would be the girl who stopped to ask someone. Yes I was her but that was okay! D.C is made up of friendly people that will help if you ask and you may even make a connection with them.

I have got on the wrong train, went the wrong way on the train and had to get off and then back on to the right train, I have been pushed and shoved onto the metro, I have been screamed at to stand on the right and walk on the left but at the end of the day you just laugh at it all. You will have those days where you drop your coffee on the way to work or you run out of the house to leave for work and look down to see you still have your slippers on… its okay! Don’t let the little things get in the way just shake it off and go on with your day! There will be and endless amount of good days!

The amount of amazing opportunities that I had is a never ending list. I took a self guided tour of the monuments at night, rode capitol bike share bikes through and across the city and ended up in Virginia, have coffee with Congressman Bob Latta, play tourist, watch the sunset over the Washington monument,  attend the inauguration, take a picture on the balcony of the Capitol, hold an Emmy,  hear from an amazing holocaust survivor, Explore New York City (a place I have never been and have always wanted to go), eat a Philly cheese steak in Philly, walk the title basin and admire the cherry blossoms, experience the changing of the guards at Arlington Cemetery, attend a National baseball game and got to experience some amazing brunch places because the thing to do in D.C. is to brunch and you brunch a lot. Just to mention a few!

Lastly I made some amazing friends that will last a lifetime. I would have never made these friends if I didn’t do WAIP. If it was not for Katy coming to my Public Health class and talking about WAIP and how awesome it was with all her energy I would not have done it. I was a junior when I first heard about WAIP and I knew I wanted to do it! I am thankful for this amazing opportunity I had through the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University. If it was not for this opportunity I would have never gained the professionalism, learned public policy, met congressman, networked, and most of all grow as a person. I have gained so much professionalism and knowledge from WAIP that I will be able to use in my everyday life whether I come back to D.C. or stay in Columbus. I am so glad I did WAIP and I would like to say Thank you to my biggest supporters which are my parents for pushing me to take this opportunity! 

As I sit and reflect on my time in D.C. some advice I would give is to be careful of your surroundings and what you are talking about, you never know who is listening, NETWORK, never pass up getting coffee, step out of your comfort zone, put yourself out there in a professional way, make friends, by the shoes, eat the cake and lastly take all the chances you have and free time you get to go out and explore the beautiful city of Washington. You do not realize how fast your time here flies by. It literally will feel like you blink and your time in D.C. is coming to an end. So don’t wait go enjoy your time here in the beautiful city of D.C.  

I enjoyed my time here and loved it, Until next time D.C.!

Chelsie Dunson