The Washington Center’s DNC Seminar
The Best Summer (and Beginning of October) Ever
By Austin Halbert
By Vrushab Gowda
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his August, Charlotte became a national stage and the focus of international attention with the proceedings of the Democratic National Convention. I was blessed with a position as one of UNC Charlotte’s participants in The Washington Center’s DNC Seminar. This allowed me not only to hear from national leaders in media and politics, but also to complete field work in the heat of the action.
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began the experience with a week of speaker sessions and discussion groups. The seminar brought forth an unbiased examination of current trends within American politics and media. Ultimately, this enabled me to further my insight into major issues, offering a substantive complement to textbook learning. I spoke with the very same CNN reporter I watched deliver the news of the September 11 attacks on my television screen in 2001. I shook hands with local representatives, introduced myself to some of Charlotte’s most influential community members, and was equally humbled and enlightened by each interaction.
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he day after the course ended, I completed my first field work assignment with StartUp RockOn, a concert benefiting entrepreneurial innovation. This opportunity allowed me to network while listening to The Roots, which was certainly not a difficult role to accept. As I ventured to my car at 1:30 that next morning, I began to reflect upon my experiences. This would not have happened in just any old city; this was Charlotte at its best, and being fortunate enough to take part in the hype encouraged me to realize the many ways that this city can contribute to my development as a leader. The remainder of my DNC work was spent as a volunteer for The National Journal and The Atlantic. The sentiment began to sink in as I recognized how close I was to the end of this energizing experience, but it did not take away from the thrill that came with assisting these publications.
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t the end, when I finally found time to process what I had been through, it was no longer pure excitement that I felt. It was immense gratitude - to my city for being so ambitious, to my university for being so involved, and to the Levine Scholars Program for encouraging me to pursue this opportunity. These weeks had an irrevocable impact on my life, and it was a time that I will never cease to reflect upon. Currently, I am in the midst of planning my spring study abroad program with the Global Business Semester, which will allow me to live in Cyprus while visiting firms in London, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New Delhi, and Agra. While my thoughts race incessantly on these opportunities, I can sum them up with one definitive conclusion: I love college.
hat a wonderful summer and fall I have had! My Washington, DC experience began in mid-June when I took a few night classes at Georgetown University while interning with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was much more fun than work, as my professors (an ex-CIA intelligence analyst, a former Assistant Secretary of Labor, and a director with the Cato Institute…all really down-to-earth people) kept each class engaging, and the work in environmental law was fascinating. I also had the chance to meet several ambassadors, Congressional chiefs of staff, business executives, and leading economists over breakfast or coffee. In the summer months, the entire DC metro area was crawling with thousands of other college students at George Washington St. Paul’s Cathedral taken from Millennium Bridge University, American University, and the University of Maryland’s College Park campus located just outside of town. It’s such a vital time to work in our nation’s capital.
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hortly after completing my DC internship, I headed to Boston to spend several weeks shadowing and researching at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. It was deeply humbling to work alongside some of the world’s best doctors and scientists, whose technical expertise was rivaled only by their sheer modesty. I even had the good fortune of being able to help them with a few drafts of articles which will hopefully find their way into scholarly journals in the near future.
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y “best summer” extended into fall as I spent my time conducting research through the month of September, and preparing for my year abroad in the United Kingdom. Since the British academic year starts in October, I had a couple of weeks to return home to New Jersey and pack my bags to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Before I knew it, I was across the pond, where I currently find myself writing this
The Palace of Westminster Page 2
Vrushab Gowda in Washington, DC with Dr. George Ayittey, a Ghanaian developmental economist
article after coming back from Guy Fawkes Night fireworks. Aside from the really rainy weather, it’s a great city with plenty of opportunities. When I am not in class during the week, I work as a research assistant to the Lord Maclennan of Rogart, a Scottish peer and co-founder of the Liberal Democrats. The Palace of Westminster is an incredible place to call “the office” (also incredibly confusing to navigate; I get lost almost every time I am there) and it is impossible to tire of the beautiful architecture, priceless artwork, and mazelike corridors. In spite of all this, I miss my friends from Charlotte and look forward to seeing them when I return home to spend Christmas with my family. Page 3