My STEP funding went towards the program fee for The Ohio State University’s Washington Academic Internship Program (WAIP), which is conducted through the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. I was a member of the Summer 2024 WAIP cohort for three months, during which I lived in Washington, DC with my fellow cohort members. In addition to taking 13 credit hours of coursework, I was the Marketing & Communications intern at a DC-based nonprofit called Spur Local. 

Before WAIP, risks scared me. I would often back down from challenges due to the fear that I may not succeed, which lowered my sense of self-efficacy. When I first heard about WAIP, I did not plan on actually applying – the thought of spending so much time in an unfamiliar place frightened me. Nonetheless, I decided to attend a virtual information session, which is when I realized just how important it was that I at least try. I submitted my application during Winter break of 2023, and when I received notice that I had been given the opportunity for an interview, I was overjoyed. The interview went well, and even though I had a feeling that I was going to get a spot in the program, I was still overjoyed when my acceptance email arrived. 

The program was not easy. While students are provided with connections to various internships, they are not given direct placements. It was mandatory that we apply to ten new internships each week and submit a summary to the program manager until we received an offer letter. This, on top of my regular course load, proved to be quite a challenge. Through trial and error, this practice guided me to a significantly improved skill set of time management, something that I used to struggle with on the daily, on top of another layer of improved self efficacy. When the day came to fly to DC, I returned to a state of anxiety – I knew nobody else in the program, and I was about to spend the next three months living with strangers in a brand-new city. While the experience was stressful for the first week, I found peace knowing that these experiences would eventually serve me well in the long run and help me expand my horizons, both career-wise and socially. By the end of the first month, I had developed quite the knack for the city – I was well-versed with public transit, I had acquired several new friends, I was doing well in my classes, and I was thoroughly enjoying my internship. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment whenever I stopped to think about how far I’d come since the beginning. 

Career development is a significant aspect of the WAIP program. Cohort members were required to schedule multiple informational interviews with working professionals in the DC area, which was an entirely foreign concept to me. I felt strange and intrusive reaching out to someone who didn’t know me at all and asking them for an hour of their time. We were encouraged to research them beforehand, as well as put effort into writing thoughtful questions as a guide for the interview – this helped me feel more prepared. I ended up conducting several interviews past the requirement for class, which led me to grow my network of contacts and learn fascinating insights from a variety of individuals who had already established their careers. Overall, I found this activity to contribute both to my wealth of knowledge and to my confidence and social skills. I also gleaned a much more stable and accurate sense of what these careers look like on a day-to-day basis, and where my skills might be best concentrated when I enter the workforce. 

There is a large network of Ohio State University alumni in the city of Washington DC, and our cohort was privileged enough to attend several of these alumni network events. There was one event that stood out from the rest: Ted Carter’s first speech to the Alumni of DC as the newly appointed president of Ohio State. He spoke about his time in the United States Navy, specifically his flying experiences with fellow colleagues. He told the true story of a time when he and a fellow pilot narrowly escaped death while flying in a combat plane, which captivated the audience. His description of the panic juxtaposed against the hyperfocus of trying to survive inspired many more in the audience than just myself. 

One of the classes that we were enrolled in was the capstone course for the Public Affairs major. Through smaller assignments throughout the entirety of the semester, we slowly built the foundation for our final paper, which was ten to twelve pages in length. The topic of my paper was the effects of social media (political advertisements, discussion groups, and propaganda) on the electoral process and on democracy as a whole. To conclude the class, everyone was required to present the findings of their papers to their peers. Public speaking has been a fear of mine in the past, and so I was nervous about the entire undertaking of this task. On top of that, finding the time to conduct research and put the paper together amidst my already busy schedule was intimidating. The day of my final presentation, I woke up sick. I spoke to my professor, and while I could have chosen to postpone the presentation for another date, I knew how important it was that I complete it in front of an audience for my own growth. I powered through the day and went home right after, and I received an A on both the paper and the presentation – while this was the hardest day of the whole semester, it showed me how resilient I can be. 

The entire WAIP experience was genuinely the most transformative three months of my life. It forced me to reach into wells of courage and perseverance that I didn’t even know I had, and I now feel like I can take on any risk after making it successfully through such a rigorous program. I also feel much more comfortable navigating a completely new city, which is important when it comes to choosing where I want to live and breaking out of my comfort zone. This experience has given me the knowledge that no matter where I go, I will be able to put down roots and build a community starting completely from scratch. Additionally, I have gained a lot of career confidence, which is valuable for me in a myriad of ways. I have a wider breadth of understanding the different paths I might choose, and I have several connections that will benefit me post-grad. Overall, I find the growth that I have achieved to be hugely significant to my personal goals and journey as an undergrad.