Emi Vaughan's Spring 2025 Internship with DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

Tell us about your internship.

This spring I had the privilege of interning with the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (DCA). DCA is a nonprofit organization that helps make DC a better place to work and live through advocacy, litigation, and legislative work (https://www.dcappleseed.org/). They take on major projects to address issues facing the District, including work to improve voter rights, reduce gun violence, expand the city’s behavioral health services, and more.

What sort of work did you do at your internship? Are there any projects you are proud to have worked on?

As a Policy and Communications Intern, I reviewed local policies and analyzed their current and potential impacts on DC residents and assisted with DCA’s advocacy efforts. This included producing bill memos and collecting research to inform testimonies given by my supervisor at DC Council Hearings. I am especially proud to have helped create a flyer advocating to expand behavioral health services in DC schools, which was presented to DC Councilmembers and their staff. A project I particularly enjoyed was creating a chart that compared two proposed violence reduction plans for the District. This comparative analysis served as an educational resource for DCA's Gun Safety Project Team.

What is your favorite part about interning? 

My favorite part of this internship was doing work that was bigger than myself, helping create a stronger and more equitable DC community for all its residents to enjoy. My work on projects related to violence prevention was particularly rewarding. I learned so much about policy work and local advocacy during this internship, and look forward to these experiences informing my future career in social and criminal justice. I am also thankful to be part of an uplifting, women-led team that is such a joy to work with. I’ve been lucky enough to form close relationships with my staff and fellow interns and have loved spending time with them in the office and around DC!

What is your favorite part about living in DC this semester? Any Recommendations?

Living in DC has been incredible for my personal development. Living amongst so many driven and ambitious professionals has encouraged me to develop my own professional skills and network. This experience, and learning to navigate a large city on my own, has helped me achieve a level of independence and self-confidence I would not have been able to in my hometown. Despite the expansive feel of DC, though, I have been able to form tight-knit communities and friendships along the way.

I have so many favorite experiences from my spring in DC! I highly recommend visiting the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, VA and the United States Botanical Garden. My favorite event to attend was the Blossom Kite Festival on the Washington Monument Grounds. Happy hours at the Library of Congress and Full Moon Cruises of the Potomac are incredible, too!

Do you have any advice for future students in our program?

I suggest keeping a running document that lists all the projects and deliverables you complete during your internship. This will be helpful to have when updating your resume, applying for future jobs, and asking for recommendations from your supervisors!

I also recommend creating itineraries for each weekend with new events and locations to visit. One of my friends did this during the semester and it was great to have an organized schedule that kept us accountable to explore DC.

Most of all, I would remind students to appreciate the uniqueness and privilege of this experience. It took me several weeks to fully grasp how remarkable it is to have been part of this program and intern at such an impressive organization. Don’t lose sight of how significant this opportunity is, and make the most of every day in DC—the semester goes by quickly!