Seeing the Future
by Judianne Meredith (’25)
I’ve reached the point in my semester in DC where I’m starting to feel like time is running out to check everything off of my to-do list, but this also means I have many exciting experiences to reflect on behind me already. My time in the Wake Washington program has been more challenging, enlightening, and enriching than I ever could have imagined. It feels as though one of my biggest challenges so far is choosing which moments are most important to reflect on!
I’m interning at the Department of Justice in the Office of Public Affairs, which serves as the liaison between the DOJ at large and the national news media. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a relatively clear path for my future carved out in my mind, which includes living in the DC area and working in a political communications or journalism role. Because of this, I never expected this preview into post-graduation life to provide me with so much more clarity about my aspirations. After meeting the public affairs team on my first day – many of whom are women and recent college graduates – I could clearly visualize my post-grad future for probably the first time in my life. Despite knowing what I wanted to do from a young age, picturing myself in the workforce was always too abstract of a concept for me to really imagine before having hands-on experience and meeting so many incredible mentors through my internship and the program at large.
And my two months at the DOJ have only continued to grow my professional confidence. I’m repeatedly surprised by the important tasks I’m trusted with, but completing these assignments and tackling busy days of an internship, class, and guest speakers eases many of the worries about my future that I held prior to this semester. I’m always impressed to hear how much my classmates and I accomplish in a day when we gather for class in the evenings. This program has challenged us all to step out of our comfort zones in ways that I’m certain will benefit us in the long-term more than we can possibly imagine now.
While each experience has been unique, I didn’t expect how seamlessly my internship work, classes, and cultural activities would connect. This semester, I’ve been exposed to more perspectives than ever before, and I particularly enjoy the challenge of navigating these differences to better understand my own views, political and otherwise. At work, I monitor the news media with a goal of generating comprehensive reports, which requires me to engage with sources and perspectives that I may not otherwise gravitate towards. I also find that the perspectives I engage with at work sometimes contradict those that are highlighted in my classes, and often our guest speakers bring even more complex perspectives to the table, as well. This means that it’s my responsibility to sort through the information I have and draw my own unique conclusions from it, a skill that I have always known was necessary, but one that is unfortunately easy to avoid when you are further removed from the political sphere.
Beyond work and class, I’ve found a balance between taking advantage of my short time in DC by having unique experiences and imagining a future for myself in the city by enjoying even its most ordinary aspects. Some of my highlights have included using my cultural dollars allotted by the program to see Little Shop of Horrors at Ford’s Theatre and, of course, seeing the cherry blossoms bloom around the Tidal Basin. But I’ve also found value in things like checking out different neighborhoods on the weekends and finding new favorite restaurants and coffee shops across the city. Between my newfound professional confidence and exciting personal experiences in DC, the Wake Washington program has given me a new outlook on my post-grad future. I’m more excited and prepared than ever to see what lies ahead for me, and I hope it looks a lot like this semester!