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