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Well after two nights of 10 hours of sleep, I’m finally well rested and ready to tell you about the incredible summer I just had! Along with hundreds of other Duke undergraduates, graduate students and alumni, I spent my summer in our nation’s capital. Just four hours from Durham and teeming with policy-related job opportunities, Washington, D.C. is a Blue Devil’s haven.

I was fortunate enough to intern at the New America Foundation, a public policy research institute (more commonly known as a “think tank”). Working in the editorial department, I had the opportunity to digest and regurgitate the jargony policy papers produced by our scholars. You can read some of my blog posts here.  At New America, I became a better writer, a more confident communicator and a radio show editor, all the while improving my workplace persona.

But there was something particularly special about my experience at New America. During introductions and break room chats, I began to realize the presence Duke had at the office. Another intern introduced himself as a Sanford student; a colleague introduced herself as a 2011 Trinity graduate. Fareed Zakaria, Duke’s 2012 commencement speaker and honorary doctorate degree recipient is on New America’s board of directors, too.

And the New America Foundation was just the beginning – two of my roommates were Duke students, weekly dinner parties at our apartment saw at least 15 more, and Duke Women’s Forum events connected me with Blue Devil alums working at the White House. I ran into Blue Devils in my apartment building, at jazz concerts in the Sculpture Gardens and out on the town.

As a rising senior about to face “the real world,” I’m comforted by the daily reminders that the Blue Devil network follows you everywhere. I’m more excited than ever to welcome the next chapter of my life!