Journal From The Beltway, Week 2

DC WEEK 2

Week 2 at SPS was just as amazing as the week before. I started my week with attending a church service at the National Cathedral which was absolutely breathtaking. After spending a whole year studying cathedrals, it’s nice to actually go to one! But anyway, our week was once again filled with speakers, projects, and our bills. My favorite speaker this week was a foreign service officer (which is my dream career, btw). Most of the week was spent lobbying our bills to various “congressmen” and “senators” (just SPS faculty), which was a great way to learn how the process of lobbying actually works. We also had a debate on climate change, which challenged my public speaking and research skills.

My favorite event this week was being able to meet and chat with Margaret Tutwiler. Brooke Hill alumna, former ambassador to Morocco, former communications director, and former state department spokeswoman, Tutwiler is an amazing role model to me and is one of the greatest public servants from the state of Alabama. Though I did ask her a couple questions about her career, we mainly just had a discussion about my future, her past, and the future of public service for this country. One of the greatest takeaways from meeting her was the following quotation: “never be afraid to start an argument”. Tutwiler taught me to never be afraid to defend myself and my state, for false information should never go unchallenged. She is one of the most assertive people I’ve ever met, in the most respectful and elegant manner, and I was truly honored to spend a couple of hours getting to know her in her home. 

Of course, I cannot go without describing the epic Fourth of July in DC! Thursday was filled with many patriotic events, such as encountering some police escort on my morning run (that might be irrelevant), an organ concert at the national cathedral, sketchy rides at the country carnival in rural Maryland, and the following night, a nationals baseball game. Don’t worry, we didn’t miss any fireworks; we watched fireworks at Mount Vernon with George Washington himself last weekend! 

So, what’s on the schedule next week?  A tour of the senate with Chris Dodd, a live town hall with Cory Booker, and much more!

Caroline