Having been in Washington now for just over three weeks, I find myself feeling less like a tourist and more like a D.C. local.  While my three weeks do not make me a seasoned native just yet, I take pride in the little things that I have learned since I arrived in May.  I have mastered the metro system, can finally navigate my way through the cross streets of the city without a map, and I am almost to the point where I can actually give other people directions.

My mom came to visit this weekend and was equally as impressed with my knowledge of the city.  Since she was only here for really one full day, we tried to squeeze as much into that one day as possible.  We woke up early to go to the Library of Congress, after which we were able to go on a tour of the Capital building with the help of my cousin Katie, who is working there for the summer, and later, we walked through Arlington Cemetery before heading off to a late dinner at Mackey’s in Crystal City.  The Capital building was amazing—talk about being overwhelmed with history.  We were even lucky enough to be able to go down to the House floor.  Being in one of the House seats, looking at the podium where Obama gave his State of the Union Address, was SO cool, and definitely something I will be bragging about to my friends at home for some time.

Besides enjoying DC—my internship keeps me very busy throughout the week.  Our office is working on planning a conference forum in September on truancy and dropout prevention.  My job has been primarily focused around preparing research papers to provide background information to the forum participants on current truancy programs throughout the country and how they have been either successful or unsuccessful thus far.   This past week, we had a staff picnic outside with all of the staff and interns from the office.  It was nice to be able to talk more casually with the higher-ups from the Center, and get to know colleagues more personally.  That’s another great thing about interning and meeting people around DC—networking.  My business cards finally arrived this week, and so I have been able to meet people through work and provide a way to keep in touch.  I know that the people I am meeting will be invaluable as resources as I go on applying to law schools next year, and looking for a job in the years ahead.

Working with the ABA’s Center on Children and the Law has been really rewarding so far.  Though the work that I do is mostly research and paper writing, I feel like I am contributing to a worthwhile project—something that I believe in.  Being a part of this project has made me think more about where I want to be after law school—and it has certainly made me think more seriously about using a law degree to commit to public service and education law.

While interning and exploring the city have been great aspects of my experience in Washington—the friends I have come to know have been the real highlights of my time here.  I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet and get to know many of the people from the WII program that are living in the Hampton Apartments, and when we’re not working, we all spend the majority of our time together.  Whether you’re going to museums, sharing networking events, or heading out on the weekends—the people you meet here become your DC family, and make the city that much more exciting.

-fallon

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