Final Week in DC

One of the greatest features of Washington DC is that this majestic city has never forgotten how it came to be since its founding in 1791.  The city and its entire population actively remember the brave men and women whose service has helped protect America and the United States government.  Monuments are constantly being built in honor of our fallen soldiers and the National Park Service makes sure to maintain these memorials so that everyone, Washingtonians and tourists alike, can always remember how America was built.  That is why Memorial Day Weekend in Washington DC was the best possible end to our time here in Washington and reminded me yet again how lucky I was to spend a full quarter in our nation’s capital.

 

Memorial Day Weekend events filled up Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and it was not an easy task to attend most of them with sweltering heat gripping the city and long walks between each memorial location.  However, it was well worth my time and effort to make my way back up to Arlington National Cemetery on Sunday and see the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a second time.  The fact that 220,000 American flags were placed in front of every tombstone in the cemetery was completely overwhelming and impressive to me and it was the least that could be done for the soldiers who gave their lives for their country.  The Memorial Day concert on the West Capitol lawn that night only continued to instill patriotism in me and thousands of others as we listened to emotional stories of soldiers who have left us forever.

Getting to listen to President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial was inspiring for me.  In an age where politics dominates the news cycles and all you can listen to is the he said/she said bickering of partisanship, listening to some of our nation’s leaders put politics aside for even twenty minutes and honor American heroes who truly deserve respect was refreshing for me.  Even though speaking about our heroes is one of the smallest things that can be done for these brave men and women, making sure that their sacrifice is not forgotten is the most important thing every single day of the year, not just Memorial Day.  As a city that always keeps this sacrifice alive and well, DC shone this Memorial Day Weekend 2012 and I was so incredibly fortunate to experience it for myself.

My time spent in Washington these past ten weeks has taught me so many important life lessons that I will always keep close to my heart.  I was taught the importance of staying connected with my family.  Having missed my younger brother’s graduation this past weekend, I’ve realized that as I move into the real world, I will not always be able to attend significant events in the lives of my younger siblings and parents but I can let them know how important they are to me.  I’ve learned the importance of friendship and connections and how my work life won’t be half as significant without the support of amazing friends and the friendships you make with co-workers and associates.  I’ve also learned how much I am capable of.  I turned twenty on my first day of work at a real job in our nation’s capital, and I’ve thrived off of my experiences here as I’ve lived a life that many people can only dream of having.  I can do anything I set my mind to and I’d consider myself so lucky if I ended up back in Washington one day.  I wouldn’t have been able to quickly learn any of these important lessons without the help of the Washington Academic Internship Program under the guidance of Dr. Kolson and the city of Washington DC itself, and I hope that other Glenn Fellows, past, present, and future, are fortunate enough to take away these lessons from WAIP too.  

-- Alex Polivka