Summer at State Department gives student insider's view on U.S. policies

Describe your organization:

I interned with the U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Public Affairs in the Office of Public Liaison. Or, as people working at the Dept. of State would say: DoS, PA/PL.  

How’d you land the gig? What made you apply to this particular internship and what was the application process like?

I’d always been interested in U.S. foreign policy and I wanted an insider’s perspective on it. I particularly liked the Dept. of State’s student internship program because it offered both the option of working at the headquarters in D.C. or in one of the many posts abroad. I had to submit an essay, my resume, and my transcript in addition to the application, which was due in November 2007.

In December 2007, I was interviewed over the phone by a program officer in PL, and in January I was selected. After that, I had to get a security clearance, which involved a lengthy application, getting fingerprinted, and an interview with Diplomatic Security (the Dept. of State equivalent of the Secret Service).

So what’s an average day like?

Every morning the whole office listens to a conference call, led by the Deputy Spokesman of Public Affairs. This call allows everyone to catch up on the important news of the day, where Secretary Rice is and what she’s up to, and the events in all of PA’s offices.  Afterward, I typically spent spend the day performing various tasks, including arranging meetings between diplomats and venues that want to have them speak, working on projects for the office director, and helping with programs and briefings, which could be for think tanks, a group of non-governmental organizations, or student groups. In a busy week, our office will host at least one program every day.  

Are there any perks that come with the job? (Meeting interesting people, free passes to events, bottomless cups of coffee, you name it.)

Simply being at the Dept. of State was a big enough perk for me most days. Within the first few weeks, I’d sat in on a press briefing, seen Secretary Rice twice, and heard various Under Secretaries discuss the challenges and goals of U.S. foreign policy in candid and direct ways with other foreign policy experts. Interns also had opportunities to go on tours of the Capitol, the Pentagon, and other D.C. mainstays.

The summer’s over and you’re back at Richmond. In an ideal world, what will you have gotten out of the internship experience? Have your goals changed?

I’ve gotten a whole new perspective on U.S. foreign policy and how it relates to both the world and everyday people at home. I feel like this particular internship was especially helpful because through the Bureau of Public Affairs I was able to learn about the many other bureaus, and how could apply my skills and academic studies working with the Dept. of State.

Through this internship, I was accepted into the Foreign Affairs Campus Coordinator program. In this role I’ll be working with the Dept. of State for a little while longer by facilitating connections between Dept. of State officials and the University of Richmond.

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