Instead of spending a summer abroad, a select few Wofford students spent their Summer 2023 interning on Capitol Hill. Through the Washington Fellows Program, students were given the opportunity to take classes while getting real field experience in several different career paths.
Of this group, Dalton Perry ‘25 particularly expressed his appreciation for the experience. His experience as a Washington Fellow was sparked because he spent Interim 2023 in DC and decided it wasn’t enough.
“My whole life, I have loved American history and politics. In high school, I was extremely politically active and involved, but when I arrived at college, I backed off slightly,” Perry said. “Going to DC for an Interim in January of 2023 rekindled my interest in the political realm and made me fall in love with DC as a city.”
The Fellows Program selects a group of students and matches them with internships around the DC area with help from The Fund for American Studies Program. David Alvis, associate professor of government and international affairs, serves as the advisor for Washington Fellows and helps to guide students through the whole process.
“We work closely with The Fund for American Studies Program to find internships for our students. Between the months of June and July, they intern at their various locations,” Alvis said. “They live at (George Washington University), and they also take a course with The Fund for American Studies. Their housing and expenses with the Fund is covered, and they each receive a $2,000 stipend to cover costs of eating.”
Perry is a government and history double major with a concentration in American Politics and serves as an at-large delegate on Campus Union and the vice president of the Edward K. Hardin Pre-Law Society. However, the summer experience provided him with something that isn’t achievable from Spartanburg.
“This experience was truly amazing for me and my educational, vocational and personal development,” Perry said. “Taking classes at the Ronald Reagan Institute, I learned more about the importance of the Executive Branch and its functionality in American politics. Vocationally, I learned so much about the policy sector while working at the National Disability Rights Network. Personally, I learned that DC has something going on constantly, and is truly a special place.”
Once the internship ends, students don’t just leave with a certificate of completion; they leave with a vast network of connections and an internship experience on Capitol Hill. Alvis boasts about how important this experience is.
“The key today is that you really have to have an internship experience in order to be able to get to the next step in finding opportunities whether it be Washington DC or any professional field,” Alvis said. “This has been beneficial to our students because the semester in Washington DC provides the opportunity to make connections, so I think that a lot of our students that have done this before now have a network of people they can reach out to.”
Though the Fellows Program is designed for students to work, that doesn’t mean students can’t enjoy themselves and see what DC has to offer.
“My favorite part of the experience was visiting all of the historic sites in DC and the DMV area. Getting to see all of the monuments, former presidents’ homes and other museums was amazing,” Perry said. “I also really enjoyed meeting new students and interns from all over the nation and world, some of them becoming my closest friends.”
Both Perry and Alvis urged students who are even considering applying to submit their application by Nov. 15.
“It’s a great opportunity, and I think the students we’ve had in the past have really enjoyed it,” Alvis said.
