When most people think about their favorite summer memories, they often imagine sunny days spent relaxing on a beach or by a pool, family barbeques, or laughing with friends all night around a bonfire.
When I reflect on my favorite summer memories, I think about traffic, bustle, and tourists. I think about fireworks, museums, public figures and politics. I also think about growing up.
When I think about the best summer of my life, I think about Washington, D.C.
In the fall of my junior year at Western New England University, I felt defeated. I knew my undergraduate career was getting down to the wire, but I had yet to complete an internship or receive the field experience everyone around me had already added to their resumes. I was desperate to put myself on the map and do whatever I could to advance.
As fate would have it, I then heard about an internship program in Washington which included a seminar course to earn college credits. Days after applying, I was thrilled to be accepted. Before I knew it, the month of June arrived, and I was on a flight to my new home away from home.
This was not the first time I had been to D.C., but I quickly learned that there is a major difference in being a tourist and being a local, or rather, trying to fit in as a local. I struggled my first week there navigating the streets and metro system by myself. Simply getting to and from my internship in Georgetown took careful planning and lots of cell phone data lost by constantly checking directions.
As a native of a small town, it was easy for me to be overwhelmed by city life, but the incredible opportunities in front of me had made all my stress and worries dissolve away. In just two short months, I attended multiple Senate hearings, a taping of Meet the Press, and various protests. I walked the halls of the State Department and White House. I even crossed paths with politicians John Kerry, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Rick Santorum, as well as journalists Andrea Mitchell, Norah O’Donnell, and Bob Schieffer.
And since I couldn’t completely shed myself of the tourist role, I enjoyed all the typical attractions depicted in every travel guide as well.
I gained invaluable experience interning at a local newspaper, explored every corner of the city, and made some pretty incredible friends through it all.
There is so much more to D.C. than just the National Mall and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. For me, this city changed my life. It taught me that I am capable of leaving my comfort zone, no matter how terrified I am. It reassured me that I could become successful with enough hard work, and it showed me that not all perfect summers involve the sand and surf.
Kelly Byrnes is a senior Communication major at Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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