Last week was super busy, but a lot of fun.I had the opportunity to hang out with an alumna of the AAPD program on Monday night.It was great to hear how she made the most of her summer on the Hill, and also get advice from her about law schools.It was interesting to see how the experiences she had through AAPD and her networking have paid off, and helped her continue with her career aspirations.
Tuesday we had dinner with MEAF. This was our second get-together with them, and every time I leave with the feeling of being incredibly lucky. DC is certainly flooded with interns in the summer, but rarely do interns have the support we get from both MEAF and AAPD. Their support has been crucial for making the most of this summer’s opportunities.
On Wednesday I had the opportunity to attend the Brownbag Lunch where Bart Peterson of Eli Lilly spoke about his varied career. I’ve really enjoyed all the opportunities to hear professionals speak about their careers and give advice, it really puts the summer in perspective and hopefully puts me on the right track for my own successful career. He spoke about how no one ever told him to be a politician (he was the Mayor of Indianapolis previously), he just decided it was something he wanted to do and thought he could succeed at. He seemed to follow the same advice for every career change he made, from politics to academia to pharmaceuticals. I found his advice very valuable; at times its easy to get caught up in pursuing careers other people have told us we should, instead of pursuing what we truly want.
Thursday night I was able to hang out with my mentor, Yoshiko Dart, which was fantastic. She’s one of the nicest people to be around, I instantly felt relaxed and ten times more confident. Having a mentor has been one of the best parts of this summer, and makes me feel a lot more at home in DC.
This weekend my sister flew in from Switzerland (where she lives/works) and I showed her around DC- at least sort of, I kept getting lost, so she ended up navigating most of the time! We shopped and ate too much. Since we’re both addicted to crime shows, we visited the International Spy Museum on Sunday. We walked by the White House and saw some other sites. Then this morning I gave her a tour of the Capitol before she flew onto Chicago. I’m glad I got to share where I work with her and show her a little bit of the work I do.
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