A Day in the Life

by Jacob Grossman (’22)

During orientation week, Ms. Richwine mentioned Wake Washington was supposed to be a challenge for students. Where many abroad programs have easier classes, and are meant to give students the opportunity to explore different cultures, Wake Washington is not like that. Wake Washington is stressful, but gratifying. I am gaining workplace experience I never thought possible, and have made so many new connections. Although I am less than halfway in, I can see the personal development and opportunities Wake Washington has given me.

My experience is slightly different than that of my peers. I found one of the only in-person internships this Fall. I am currently working in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. I am not going to lie, I’m confident in my knowledge as a political science major; however, I didn’t know anything about the Department of Defense. Sure, I knew the basics of how it worked, but I really didn’t know much going in except that I would be going into the Pentagon every day. After about four weeks, I have gained incredible knowledge about the Department’s mission and what it’s like in a legislative office.

I also want to emphasize that this internship is very stressful.

My day begins at 6AM. I rush to shower, iron my clothes, double check that I look professional, then get out the door by 7AM. Technically, work begins at 8:30AM, but what kind of intern would I be if I wasn’t one of the first people there? After leaving the apartment, I take the metro four stops into Pentagon station.

The metro begins the morning of stress. I have a metro app that only tells me the time of the next train coming. So, sometimes when I see the time running down and I am close, I resort to running–in a suit–to make it to the train.

Once I get to the Pentagon, I hit the ground running. I normally have emails waiting for me on projects to complete. I get in early so that I can complete these before the office gets busy. Once people start filling in I receive more tasks to complete on a variety of subjects that I have little to no knowledge of. This has forced me to do research and has broadened my knowledge of politics.

Around lunch time, I quickly scarf down two protein bars to avoid taking a lunch break. This allows me to remain in the office more and not miss anything. I usually leave the office around 5PM – 5:30PM. I get home around 6PM and then cook dinner until 7PM. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I watch recorded lectures from my Journalism class earlier in the morning. I then write a reflection on these classes to send to Dr. Zerwick.

With everything going on I have had no free time on the weekdays. My friends joke with me that I miss hockey games because I’m in bed by 8:30PM. My mother complains that she never hears from me. In fact, if it was not for Ms. Richwine’s twitter posts on Fridays of us and the guest speaker I think my mother would be seriously worried that something happened to me.

So, I guess Ms. Richwine was right after all, Wake Washington has provided a rigorous workload. But all of this has set me up to be better when I graduate. And I have gotten to explore the city of DC and immerse myself in a completely different culture than I am used to in Tampa and at Wake.

I look forward to all of the speakers and work experiences I will gain in the upcoming weeks. I am truly grateful for my Wake Washington experience so far, and it has seriously made me consider new career paths and the prospect of living in DC.