Fun in the Sun: DC Summer Institute

Hey everyone, Corinne here again. The American Politics Institute has wrapped up its second week of intense discussions on polarization, and with that, the class portion of this summer program is over! It was a wild ride. The second week of speakers was just as impressive as the first, and I’ve come away feeling like an expert on polarization in the American political system.

Today many of us started our internships – and of course my first day (as a finance intern for the DNC) was a little overwhelming. How could it not be? So many new faces, a new building to navigate, and tons of new responsibilities and jargon to learn…it was a lot. It didn’t help that all the other interns had started a week ago and they sort of forgot I was showing up today, but it’s all good! I’m sure I’ll soon love my internship once I’ve settled in.

But today I’d like to talk about something else. Some of my best memories at the DC Summer Institute so far haven’t been in class or at my internship. The amazing students I was able to study with are also my roommates or building-mates in the awesome DC housing that W&M offers, and we’ve spent our free-time getting to know each other and doing fun DC-activities (and, yes, debating politics – we’re still government students, after all).

Some of the social highlights from these past few weeks have been visiting the National Zoo, bowling at a swanky bowling alley in Georgetown, riding a bus for a “Monuments by Moonlight” tour, and swimming in the rooftop-pool of our apartment building. Just listing these off, I can’t believe how lucky we are. I feel like I’m on one of those sit coms where a bunch of young adults live together in a classy apartment in the city. We’ve also done some casual stuff at home – like watching nature documentaries and the Bachelorette all together.

It’s so fun being able to discover DC (and relax at home) with students who are in the same boat as I am, starting internships and putting their W&M skills to the test. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the summer goes!

– Corinne