Internship at IAVA
Intro
The time I spent interning on “The Hill” has made me appreciate the education I receive from my home institution of Ball State University. This experience as further enhanced my understanding of political organizations and the base definition of politics provided by Dr. Brandon Waite in POLS 237, “Politics is who gets what, when, and how”. Over the summer I realized that it is impossible to accommodate every program and bureaucratic budget through the 1.1 trillion dollar budget and cuts are always being proposed given the current state of the national debt.
This experience also provided insights toward the importance of advocacy, especially from the non-profit side of the spectrum. The group I have the privilege to intern for, Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America, has a policy agenda that almost mirrors the layout of a workers Union. They seek to represent the interest of those who fought to protect the …show more content…
Over the course of two months, I have gained valuable insights toward gaining to professional development through the courses offered. The program includes a three hour class that meets once a week over the nation’s policy wars transitioned from the “War on Drugs” to the “War on Terrorism” which has provided viable insights to country’s social, economic, and political trajectories.
The program also includes a bi-weekly civic engagement session where two sides of opposing views form a panel and have a discussion to generate civil discourse with the audience made up of the student body. Civic engagement has been a positive aspect given the multiple tragic events that have taken place over the course of the summer. It is an enlightening experience to see both the liberal and conservative perspective in a judgement free zone to gain a better understanding of each other. This section of the program also requires us to engage in 5 hours of community
Intro
The time I spent interning on “The Hill” has made me appreciate the education I receive from my home institution of Ball State University. This experience as further enhanced my understanding of political organizations and the base definition of politics provided by Dr. Brandon Waite in POLS 237, “Politics is who gets what, when, and how”. Over the summer I realized that it is impossible to accommodate every program and bureaucratic budget through the 1.1 trillion dollar budget and cuts are always being proposed given the current state of the national debt.
This experience also provided insights toward the importance of advocacy, especially from the non-profit side of the spectrum. The group I have the privilege to intern for, Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America, has a policy agenda that almost mirrors the layout of a workers Union. They seek to represent the interest of those who fought to protect the …show more content…
Over the course of two months, I have gained valuable insights toward gaining to professional development through the courses offered. The program includes a three hour class that meets once a week over the nation’s policy wars transitioned from the “War on Drugs” to the “War on Terrorism” which has provided viable insights to country’s social, economic, and political trajectories.
The program also includes a bi-weekly civic engagement session where two sides of opposing views form a panel and have a discussion to generate civil discourse with the audience made up of the student body. Civic engagement has been a positive aspect given the multiple tragic events that have taken place over the course of the summer. It is an enlightening experience to see both the liberal and conservative perspective in a judgement free zone to gain a better understanding of each other. This section of the program also requires us to engage in 5 hours of community