I decided early in my undergraduate experience that I wanted to make the most of summer breaks. This was especially important to me as UW is fairly close to home. During my first summer, I studied abroad in Rome. That was great, but I knew the following summer I would need a paying job, ideally an internship to start building professional experience. With the help of a family friend, I got an internship at Cabot Microelectronics in Aurora, IL. This isn't really Chicago, so I would need a car to get around. Luckily, my parents were willing to lend me their minivan for the summer. The day my sophomore coursework finished, two girlfriends and I hit the road. We made our way through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
I arrived in D.C. on a Saturday night. It was my first real time on the East Coast. On Sunday morning, I walked a mile north to the National Portrait Gallery. I made my way straight to Michelle's portrait on the 3rd floor. Seeing her gave me goosebumps immediately. There I was, alone in a new city and ready to start a new job at the Library of Congress the next day. In all of my nervous anxiety about the trip and about my life in general, Michelle's powerful gaze showered confidence and female power on me. The description quoted Michelle; "being smart is cooler than anything in the world". After a lifetime as the nerdy valedictorian bookworm, I was finally able to receive these words fully. I'm smart, and I like it! I felt like the coolest thing in the world.
My internship in D.C. was empowering. In the end, conservation science didn't turn out to be my life's calling as I was almost sure it would be. However, I was glad to have gained this experience and insight (however unpaid it may have been). Being away from home shed light on my relationships in a constructive way. Four (!) friends and two ailing grandparents visited me. A saintly woman, Karen, took me in and became a true friend. My boss, Jamie, became an incredibly influential mentor. I ask her for advice on just about everything all the time. I spent countless hours alone in museums, I attended the 4th of July Trump rally out of boredom, proximity, and curiosity. I saw the Apollo 11 spacecraft projected onto the Washington Monument. I went to fancy dinners by myself. I really lived and explored, and I am proud of myself for earning the experience.
My internship in D.C. was empowering. In the end, conservation science didn't turn out to be my life's calling as I was almost sure it would be. However, I was glad to have gained this experience and insight (however unpaid it may have been). Being away from home shed light on my relationships in a constructive way. Four (!) friends and two ailing grandparents visited me. A saintly woman, Karen, took me in and became a true friend. My boss, Jamie, became an incredibly influential mentor. I ask her for advice on just about everything all the time. I spent countless hours alone in museums, I attended the 4th of July Trump rally out of boredom, proximity, and curiosity. I saw the Apollo 11 spacecraft projected onto the Washington Monument. I went to fancy dinners by myself. I really lived and explored, and I am proud of myself for earning the experience.