This summer was the first time I spent time away from home besides being in college. I was admitted into an academic internship program sponsored by The Fund for American Studies, where I was placed into the journalism and communications track. I was enrolled into the program in April, where I was supposed to be placed into an internship program with a journalism background. Much to my dismay, I was unable to obtain an internship through the program, due to my lack of experience in the journalism field. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands to find another internship since I had already accepted an opportunity to stay on the George Washington University campus. I found an internship at the National Archives where I processed metadata for archivists and to help researchers access archival footage.Â
While working at the National Archives, I learned new skills which I believe can help me in the future and towards my career goals. Besides working at the Archives, I also took an economics course courtesy of the TFAS program at George Mason University, which I found to be slightly uninteresting. Interning at the National Archives was a new experience for me as I had no prior experience working with archivists and in the archival field in general. I learned how to process metadata for archival footage and I was made responsible for organizing this footage for archivists to give to researchers working on specific projects. I also learned the difference between 15mm and 35mm film and how to read film, as well as different codes such as how to differentiate between silent film in color or a sound film in black and white. Being in DC was also my first time traveling on the train for extensive periods of time, which I found to be easier to navigate than the MARTA system. I mostly used to train to travel back and forth to class, as I found doing leisure activities to be accessible by walking.Â
During my time there, I hung out with two fellow Agnes students, who were both completing internships in Washington, D.C. as well, with one working at the Women’s Water Alliance and the other working for The New York Times at the National Press Club, respectively. We usually found time to hang out on the weekends despite our busy schedules, going to numerous museums and monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial and various Smithsonian Museums. I liked the fact that most of the museums in DC have free admission, as well as visiting the monuments. I also got a chance to visit George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Fairfax, which was quite beautiful. My favorite part about being in Washington, DC this summer was simply being in the city and being surrounded by its culture and charm. I also enjoyed the diverse selection of food in the city and doing an ample amount of sightseeing alongside tourists. I also got the opportunity to spend my 20th birthday in DC, where I visited Madame Tussauds DC for the first time, where I got to bring back home a wax hand. I would definitely go back to DC in the future, preferably during the summer and be able to spend it with my family.
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