What You'll Be Doing as an Intern

As an intern, you’ll obtain practical experience by spending four full days per week at your internship site. You're not just getting coffee and making copies: you're doing real work.

Interns have:

  • attended congressional hearings and briefings for their internships on Capitol Hill

  • responded to trade inquiries at the US Department of Commerce

  • composed blog posts and op-eds at the Sierra Club

  • helped plan gala events

  • conducted research at the Library of Congress

  • implemented training sessions at the Smithsonian Institution

  • assisted in efforts to develop an AIDS vaccine at the National Institutes of Health

Throughout your experience, you're making connections between your classwork and your professional work-- and making connections with people working in your desired field.

Read Recent Student Stories & Experiences

 

student Testimonials

“My responsibilities were to check the resources on our ABA website and make sure they were current as well as finding new resources. I was also given the opportunity to be on the diversity council. I loved working with [my supervisor] because she is so passionate and trusted me with so much right away and saw that I was always working hard.”

— Sandra Fernandez, Fall 2018, American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights

“I was in charge of social media, making spreadsheets, creating presentations, and engaging with people at conventions. I had to make many phone calls, so I had to learn how to talk and represent the company accordingly. I also learned how to do a proper presentation for business.”

— Stephanie Samuels, Spring 2017, Creative Learning

Georgia McKee of Belmont interned at S.O.S. Children's Villages, one of the largest charity organizations in the world. Hear about her experience and what she feels she learned.

“As a data analytics intern, I held a wide variety of roles and responsibilities. I did everything from track litigation, prepare FOIA requests, to event preparation and database management. I liked the opportunity to work in a tight-knit, collaborative environment. I gained a ton of real-world life experience and learned how to work in an office environment.”

— Roger Padilla, Fall 2017, Invest in the USA

“I helped create and implement a new activity card focused on media literacy for volunteers to engage visitors with. I wrote content for NewseumED.org and tracked NewseumED's social media trends. I researched libraries to expand the Newseum's educational sphere. The people I worked with are amazing and supportive individuals.”

— Dana Teets, Spring 2018, Newseum

“I wrote legal documents such as court motions, orders, and assisted in clerical tasks such as filing subpoenas, writing court transcripts, and emailing attorneys. The attorneys were always giving me projects to work on and were very accessible. I gained a comprehensive understanding of family law, especially pertaining to child protection prosecution.”

— Caleb Betts, Fall 2016, Office of the Attorney General, Family Services Division

“My responsibilities changed from day to day, from drafting briefings for the president of the organization to reviewing grant applications. It broadened my understanding of the business side of government.”

— Ismael Munoz, Spring 2018, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

“I was responsible for promoting our 2017 conference via YouTube and social media, video post production and A/V at the conference, attending/covering events for the magazine, etc. By attending events I learned more about the issues I want to report on [and] the think-tank culture in DC.”

— Kailey Love, Spring 2017, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs