Routines & Reflections

by Josie Ansbacher (’22)

Hi everyone! My name is Josie Ansbacher and I am a junior on the Wake Washington program. It’s only fair I start off this blog post with the elevator pitch we give about fifteen times a week here… all part of the fun! As I said, I am a junior, and I am majoring in Politics & International Affairs with minors in Communications and Russian. I am honestly still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do, which is a major reason why I am here. I am passionate about advocacy work and fixing injustices within the American political system, but I am also interested in foreign policy and potentially pursuing a career in the foreign service (hence, the Russian). I am so grateful to be on this program where I can explore all aspects of my interests first hand, and make connections to help me advance my career no matter which path I choose.

I was absolutely ecstatic about the prospect of living and working in D.C. for a semester, as this is where I would like to be after graduation. Of course it was a bit daunting because of COVID, but I actually feel a sense of normalcy through the routine I’ve created. Seeing as it has been a little over a month since we moved, I decided I was settled enough to write the blog, and I’m so excited to talk about everything I’ve experienced so far.

The Wake Washington program has been so accommodating this semester, truly pulling out all of the stops. I am someone who thrives off of routine, which has been hard to come by in COVID. They secured office spaces for all fourteen of us on the sixth floor of the Wake Washington Center, so every day I walk to my 9-5 job and have a little office to work from overlooking DuPont Circle. As you can imagine, having an online internship has its challenges, but dressing up like I am going to work every day and walking in my sneakers with my work shoes in my bag makes me feel a bit more adult and a lot more D.C.. My internship is with the Human Rights Campaign, which is the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization. HRC has a significant amount of different departments ranging from Fundraising to Digital to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to what I do, which is Campaigns & Organizing. I am the only intern in my department, which was kind of daunting at first, but it has been so rewarding, as it has allowed me to really get to know my colleagues. Each member on my team is in charge of a certain number of states, and they create campaign plans during election season and track state legislation in their designated states year round. It has been very depressing the past few weeks as states have decided to respond to Biden’s executive order standing up for LGBTQ rights and the Equality Act passing in the House by introducing highly discriminatory legislation to be passed in the states themselves. However, I have enjoyed sitting in on the state legislation meetings twice a week and attending hearings to take notes as I have learned so much about the legislative process and the way HRC operates on the ground.

The work life balance has definitely been something that I have had to grapple with. It is already such a task in normal life, but in a virtual internship it presents an even larger challenge. Something about always being in front of my computer makes it harder for me to step away, because even while I am on my “lunch break”, I am in the same place, and my computer is just sitting there open. The Wake Washington Center has helped me combat this by being so centrally located, and providing me with scenic walks right around the corner. Once a week on days when I know I don’t have meetings, I also allow myself to walk to a coffee shop around the corner for the last two hours of work and work outside if it is not too chilly. Being intentional about how I spend my break times and how I manage my workload has definitely helped me to keep focused while staring at a screen 10+ hours a day.

In terms of life in the city, I cannot recommend it enough. The excitement (for lack of a better word) of just hopping on the metro, or grabbing a coffee on the way to work makes up for all of the things we may be lacking in normalcy. My best friend did this program two semesters ago, and neglected to mention the absolutely stunning rooftop we are so lucky to have as part of our apartment. Especially in COVID, being able to hang out with other students on the program in a social setting while still being COVID conscious has been so important in terms of bonding as a cohort. We are hoping to get out and grill once the weather gets a bit warmer as the month goes on. I am a big runner, and the way I can run to the National Mall in a mile and do a loop past the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial is something I used to dream of doing, and now it is my life. All of the young alumni we have interacted with thus far have emphasized the need for us to walk as much as possible, and the walkability is definitely a top ten reason to live in the city. Last weekend my roommates and I walked up to Adams Morgan to window shop for food, and this weekend I walked all the way to Georgetown for brunch and back along the waterfront. There is still so much to explore, and I feel like time is already going by so quickly! I am looking forward to it warming up a bit, and of course, seeing the notorious cherry blossoms that everyone speaks of so fondly. I am also anticipating some of the museums and outdoor activities to open up as more time passes, which I am also looking forward to!