Alumni Spotlight: Julianne Touhy

We recently reached out to some of our alumni to see how they have been doing, and hear their stories and reflection on their experience interning in DC through the Washington Internship Institute. Julianne Touhy participated in our program in the Summer 2014 term, when she interned at The Sierra Club, a DC-based environmental organization. Here’s what she had to say:

What is your favorite DC memory?
Memorial Day Concert on Capitol Hill

What is your best piece of advice for future interns?
Take advantage of your time in DC. Meet as many people and go to as many events as possible. Also, be open to change. Life has a funny way of pointing you in the right direction at obscure times.

How did your internship affect your career?
My internship at the Sierra Club - Student Coalition changed my entire career path. At Quincy University, I was the resident event planner in charge of a multitude of campus wide and sorority events. I was excited when I went to DC because I would finally be able to focus on what I thought was my career path at the time: lobbying. When I arrived at the Sierra Club, I was amped to learn all about environmental lobbying. As I developed in my role, I naturally went to logistics and helped coordinate four of the Sierra Student Coalition Summer Programs and the Sierra Student Coalitions involvement in the New York Climate March. I knew when I left DC that logistics and planning was where I belonged. Flash forward to my career today, I put on the two largest, association-wide meetings of the American Bar Association. Lawyers, judges, and political leaders from around the United States meet to discuss how to evolve the rule of law and make the US a better place. In the end, my love for politics/law and my talent for planning combined to make my dream job.

Learn more about how we help students find internships in DC at the button below. If you are an alum of the program, head to our alumni page to find out how you can get involved or share your story!