How to launch a career? Maybe we'll CU in D.C.

Washington, D.C., internship-and-study program grows, drawing praise from students and others who hail its success and emphasize the wide range of internships available in the arts, humanities, sciences, nonprofits and, of course, the federal government

Sarah Lauce, a political science major who plans to graduate in December, wants to launch a career in international space law, a challenge made especially daunting by the fact that specialized training “doesn’t exist anywhere.”

She’s taking some of her first steps in the nation’s capital.

Lauce is in a conference room in the Washington, D.C., offices of Congressman Ed Perlmutter, the Democrat who represents Colorado’s 7th Congressional District and is a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

She is an intern there, one of 11 University of Colorado Boulder students working and studying in the nation’s capital this semester as part of the university’s CU in D.C. Program.

During the day, Lauce, a Westminster native, leads Capitol tours, corresponds with constituents and conducts legislative research. She also orbits committee hearings and briefings on space issues, joins meetings with Colorado companies that work in the space sector, and conducts research for staffers about innovations and developments in space.

The capital is more than a Mecca for policy wonks. “Washington has the greatest concentration of scientists in the world. It also has the second-most theatre performances, second only to New York.”

Congressman Perlmutter frequently works on space policy, “which is going to be really similar to space law,” Lauce said.

Launched in as a small pilot program in summer 2010 but then expanded and fully funded in 2012, the CU in D.C. Program gives students the chance to live, study and work in the capital. Students in all majors can apply. “You’ll grow personally and academically and gain invaluable professional experience,” the program’s web site declares.

Students concur.

Duncan Yost is a political science major from Denver who will graduate in May. He is interning in the office of Congressman Mike Coffman, a Republican who represents Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.

Yost, too, aims to become an attorney, hoping to focus on international law. He would like to become a lobbyist, a congressional staff member or a leader of a political campaign.

Like Lauce, he learned about CU in D.C. when Program Director Ken Bickers stopped by a class to pitch the program. “I knew I wanted to do something with politics, and it seemed pretty perfect for me.”

In Coffman’s office, Yost compiles press clips that mention the congressman and helps with other media analyses. He conducts research and responds to letters from constituents.

Yost even wrote a speech that Congressman Coffman entered into congressional record. “It was just a short, one-minute speech, but it was a cool experience that not many people have.” (Cherry Creek had won the state football championship, and Coffman congratulated the team.)

Before sitting down to talk about his work as an intern, Yost had written a draft of an “item of special interest” for the House Armed Services Committee. That language was destined for the National Defense Authorization Act.

“I’m doing some of the things I expected to be doing, but then a whole lot more,” Yost said. He figured he’d be assigned mostly to answering phones and writing constituent letters.

But he found himself attending an Armed Services Committee hearing that included testimony from three former Secretaries of State: Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright and George P. Shultz.

More than a policy-wonk Mecca

Bickers, who is also a CU-Boulder professor of political science, knows the power and thrill of such experiences. As a student at Texas Christian University in 1980, Bickers found his own D.C. internship experience transformational.

“That is the primary reason I enjoy being associated with the CU in D.C. program,” Bickers said.

CU in D.C. students can apply for a wide range of internships. Besides Congress, the White House and a gaggle of executive agencies, students can work as interns in lobbying firms, the mass media, public relations and marketing, non-governmental organizations and nonprofit organizations.

Bickers emphasizes that the capital is more than a Mecca for policy wonks. It also has many opportunities for students in the humanities, arts and sciences.

“Washington has the greatest concentration of scientists in the world. It also has the second-most theatre performances, second only to New York.”

By day, students work as interns. In the evenings, they attend classes in the CU in D.C. offices, which are co-located with the CU Office of Government Relations in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace building, a few steps away from Dupont Circle.

In fall and spring semesters, CU in D.C. students are enrolled full time, earning six credit hours for their internships and three credit hours for a weekly seminar on the Public Life of Washington, D.C., featuring lectures by prominent D.C. practitioners and experts.

On an early April evening this semester, for instance, students listened to Anthony Clark, a former speechwriter, committee professional staffer, and legislative director in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Clark outlined his extensive research—in the National Archives and leveraged by the U.S. Freedom of Information Act—behind his just-released book: The Last Campaign: How Presidents Rewrite History, Run for Posterity & Enshrine Their Legacies.

Fall- and spring-semester students enroll in up to two additional courses that may count toward core graduation requirements or to their majors. In the shorter summer semester, students earn three credit hours for the internship and three credit hours for the weekly seminar.

Students live in an apartment building near the Carnegie facility.

Bickers cites clear signs of progress in the CU in D.C. Program. First, the program has become more visible.

“That is an ongoing challenge, given turnover and the plethora of other great opportunities available at CU.”

Additionally, the program has infrastructure: a workable location to offer classes; affordable, safe and convenient apartment arrangements; instructors and a small support staff in D.C. “to provide classes for the students and to offer support on a day-to-day basis to the students, internship supervisors and our housing partners.”

Finally, the program has support from donors who aim to ensure that students can join the program regardless of their financial status.

“I am particularly appreciative of this support,” Bickers said. “The enthusiasm of donors to support students doing something as transformative as interning and studying in D.C. is gratifying beyond words.”

One reason this matters is that CU in D.C. alumni are landing “interesting jobs that have promising trajectories.”

Some are even returning to Washington, D.C., to launch their careers.

Heading back to D.C. for a career

Nicole Chan, who earns her bachelor’s in international affairs and Chinese on May 9, begins a new job on May 15 in U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s office as special assistant for constituent services.

Chan does not know what she’ll be doing in five years, “but I can definitely say I will still be in D.C.” In eighth grade, Chan visited the city for the first time and fell in love with it.

“It’s one of those cities where you never know who you’re going to meet or where you’ll end up, but it’s guaranteed that there are opportunities that align in some way with any interest you might have,” Chan said. “It’s an amazing place to be!”

Grazina Dagyte, a native of Lithuania who is majoring in economics with an emphasis in business and a minor in Spanish, spent her CU in D.C. internship in the Executive Office of the President with the Office of Management and Budget.

There, she got a crash course in how the U.S. government functions and how the federal budget is formulated.

“This experience helped me identify the area where I can most effectively contribute to a sustainable future through promoting renewable energy,” said Dagyte, who is pursuing a career in clean-energy finance and plans to return to the nation’s capital.

In five years, she wants to have completed a master’s degree in finance and work in an international company that supports development of viable renewable energy projects worldwide.

“Eventually, I aspire to become the CEO of a successful renewable energy company and help promote the renewable energy cause.”

Praise for the CU in D.C. Program comes from university leaders, internship managers and students.

Tyler Sandberg, deputy chief of staff/communications director in Congressman Coffman’s office, says the office loves employing CU interns.

“CU is the congressman’s alma mater, which he attended on the GI bill, and remains an important economic driver for the district and state,” Sandberg said. “Our interns are critical to our operation, often being the first face constituents see when visiting the office in D.C. and helping provide research on all manners of legislation.”

Dagyte puts I this way: “Through this opportunity, I gained confidence both as a woman and as a professional. In addition, I acquired valuable tools to succeed in my future career.”

Lauce concurs, saying CU in D.C. was, “absolutely worth it. It’s been a great learning experience.”

Chan adds: “I still consider it the best decision I’ve made during my four years at CU.”

For more information on CU in D.C., including deadlines to apply for the program, click here. To support the program, click here. Clint Talbott is director of communications and external relations for the College of Arts and Sciences and editor of the College of Arts and Sciences Magazine.