I've been back in Canada for two weeks now, which has been plenty of time to settle back into life where I left it, and time to contemplate/reflect on the last ten weeks in Washington. I've hit that feeling right when an experience or travels becomes history, a part of the past, and I can only hold it now as a memory. It's no longer something I'm living everyday.
I know it sounds cliche, but I learned a lot this summer about the importance of setting professional goals, and creating a direction for what exactly you want, and then the steps to link together that big goal, university, and all the little steps that need to be taken in between. I was encouraged, built up and challenged by the people I worked with, and other students and interns I met to want more and to never settle.
Urban centers are full of ambitious, driven people, and the vast majority of people in the DC area can be characterized by those words: eager, hopeful, passionate, competitive... but what I think Washington has over other cities is passion. Dedication to an ideology, policy or specific goal surrounding an issue. People go to Washington to make a difference.
To condense my summer, the one thing I have taken home with me, and I encourage you all to thread through your professional and academic goals is passion. Last night I was flipping through pictures that I had taken over the summer, and in light of the budget scandal and the presidential campaign, I was thinking back to when I met Congressman Ron Paul. He had a picture of Grover Cleveland (U.S. President in the late 1800s) hanging in his office. Under the picture was the quote:
"What is the use of being elected or re-elected unless you stand for something?"
That idea goes way beyond public office, and I think it's a good summary of what I have learned in DC. Building a career is about standing for something. Put together ideas and values with past schooling or traveling experiences and make a professional career your own. This idea is so central to success, and being able to stand out above the crowd, or in my case, have my resume be at the top of the pile rather than lost in the middle.
This idea, or lesson I learned this summer has already become so invaluable to me, and as I wrap up this short and sweet chapter of my life I want to encourage those reading to do the same. Get involved, plug-in, find like minded people who won't settle and go after what is on your heart. Success can only be yours.
