Every summer, the Washington, D.C., internship program is available to students in good academic standing within the College of Applied Science and Technology.
This program allows students to live in Washington, D.C., for a summer to intern with government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, National Archives, and Homeland Security, among others. Although the internship is unpaid, students can gain credit towards graduation plus amazing work and life experiences they cannot get anywhere else.
This summer, three students from the College of Applied Science and Technology spent their summer in Washington, D.C., with this program. Criminal Justice students Kelsie Langheim and Mike Prokop along with Kinesiology and Recreation student Brycen Turnbull packed their bags after finals in May to head east.
Each student was able to attain a different internship that best fit their area of study and personal interests. Prokop interned with the U.S. Supreme Court Police Department. He was able to sit in on court sessions and visit various divisions of the department such as K-9, Threat Assessment, and Mobile Patrol.
“This allowed me to see how all the different divisions tie together and how the court operates as a whole. I got to meet a lot of different officers, and they each let me do a lot of hands-on work, which I really enjoyed,” said Prokop.
Langheim interned with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. She also said the best part of her job was being able to meet a variety of different people and learning how to interact with the variety of issues and people that came through the organization.
“Through this experience, I learned how to become more empathetic when discussing certain situations regarding children. Each person I spoke with was different and had a special story to share,” said Langheim.
Turnbull, the Kinesiology and Recreation student, interned with Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, helping to organize different programs the museum put on for people of all ages while getting to learn a lot about American history.
“My favorite part about my job was the historical collection at the Tudor Place. The mansion was owned by the same family through six generations and over 165 years. It is very much a time capsule of American history that you can walk through. Home to the second largest collection of George and Martha Washington artifacts, Tudor Place has a collection unparalleled in the house museum field,” said Turnbull.
These students were also able to spend their days off immersing themselves into the culture of Washington, D.C. Whether it was catching a Major League Baseball game or visiting Arlington National Cemetery, there was never a dull moment for these three students this summer.
“Having the opportunity to explore the city and all it has to offer over a summer is a nice change of pace … I would hope that all ISU students would at the very least consider applying. It could change your life,” said Turnbull.
For more information about this program, contact Kara Pool Snyder at (309) 438-3986 or by email.
