BSW Student  Interns in Washington D.C.

NMU student Angela Ryan (right) with friend at her Peace Corps internship office.

Senior social work major Angela Ryan  spent her summer interning at Peace Corp Headquarters in Washington D.C. within their World Wise School programs. 

NMU has had students participating in the The Washington Center for several years.  The Department of Political Science and Public Administration partners with the Center to offer the program.. It is open to students of all majors.  To learn more about this particular program and how you might participate as an NMU student, contact Dr. Brian Cherry in the Political Science Department.  For information on many more internship opportunities, check out the Career Services web page.

Here's how Angela sums up the experience:

Wow! What a summer it was!  Between interning at Peace Corps, taking a class on International Human Rights, and trying to make the most of my ten week stay in our nation’s capital, I can definitely say there were very few dull moments.

As an intern at Peace Corps, I split my time between two departments: Returned Volunteer Services, and Third Goal.  Both departments provide career and educational resources to returned Volunteers.  Though there was no direct practice with clients per say, I did have the chance to use some of my social work skills by facilitating and participating in lots of meetings as well as interviewing various co-workers about social workers role in Peace Corps.  Doing so gave me lots of insight into the positive and negative workings of a government agency.

Though I learned lots through my internship and class, I think I learned the most just through exploring our nations’ capital.  My bosses were very flexible, so I was able to attend numerous conferences and events, my favorite being the Campus Progress 2009 National Conference, a nationwide program on college campuses sponsored by the Center for American Progress.  Not only was there great food and free t-shirts, but I got to hear notable speakers within the political scene such as Kathleen Sebelius, Nancy Polosi, and former President Bill Clinton.  It is definitely a very exciting time out in Washington.

Overall, it was a wonderful summer, and I am very thankful I had the opportunity this opportunity.  I encourage everyone to explore and put yourself in a vulnerable situation once in a while--it will usually pay off!