The Aspen Institute internship program has just selected the next four Wofford students to partake in the once in a lifetime experience for the summer of 2025.
These students will be provided with endless opportunities for both personal and professional growth in Aspen, Co. and Washington, D.C.
This Wofford program has been graciously sponsored by Mike Brown since 2007. With so many years under its belt, the program has deep roots with a large alumni base of over 50 that these four students now have access to.
When this program was started, Brown wanted to not merely share the Aspen Institute with Wofford students but to share Wofford with the world. These students have been given the opportunity to represent the college in conversation with great leaders and thinkers.
Curt McPhail, the executive officer of the Career Center, is the facilitator of the program. McPhail shared that this year’s applicant pool was by far the largest and most qualified he has seen in his eight years working with the program.
When selecting the applicants, McPhail works with both Brown and the alumni network to find students who would fit best with the program. McPhail shares that a unique aspect to the application process is the potential for every applicant to be successful.
While experience is a factor, this is not exclusively a resume-based selection process. They are looking for students who understand the brevity of this experience and seek to take advantage of every opportunity afforded them.
“We look for students who we know this program will have transformational opportunities for,” McPhail said.
Camille Terracina ‘26, a member of the new cohort, seeks to accomplish just this.
“I hope to walk away from this experience knowing that I’ve said ‘yes’ to every opportunity that comes across my plate. I look forward to meeting new people, learning from them, and coming back to Wofford with new ideas and perspectives,” Terracina said.
The Aspen Institute is a well-established organization that facilitates a space for nonpartisan dialogue. Students will have opportunities to plan events such as the Aspen Ideas Festival and meet leaders from all across the country.
This year, Terracina, McCarver Stokes ‘26 and Sara Strakhov ‘26 will be interning with the Aspen Institute at their headquarters in Aspen, Co. Elosie Hupfer ‘26 will be working at their location in Washington, D.C.
With two cities that are bustling with new ideas and exciting innovations, these students are sure to gain incredible skill sets and networks at both of the institute’s locations.
Hupfer is a Washington Fellow alumna and spent last summer working in D.C. with the Fund for American Studies. She could not be more excited to be back in Washington, D.C. to work with Aspen.
This is the second year ever for the program to send a student to Washington D.C., and Hupfer is looking forward to being a part of something so impactful. She shared that D.C. is filled with interesting people all with different stories to tell. This diversity offers the opportunity to learn something new each day.
“I applied for the Aspen Institute because I was really inspired by their core values and mission statement. They encourage open dialogue and facilitate events that bring different perspectives together to make a change,” Hupfer said.
McPhail harps on the unique aspects of this specific program believing in the power of nonpartisan ideas and open dialogue.
“That is missing in a lot of what we see today. Aspen is a respite from business as usual because you are able to immerse yourself in ideas outside of the other noise that we’re so bombarded with,” McPhail said.
He encourages all students who are interested to apply next year and take advantage of this unique chance to represent Wofford in two beautiful locations filled with unmatched opportunities; to make a change in both the world and in yourself.
