Beyond Barnard: Incredible Internships in DC
I first stepped into the Beyond Barnard office the spring of my first-year. I was overly confident in my resume and saw this visit as more of a formality. However, Beyond Barnard’s Peer Career Advisors quickly proved me wrong and constructively offered feedback to fix the entire thing (in the nicest way possible). Senior staff members steered me toward different search platforms and carefully went through the cover letter writing process. Without their help, I could not have gotten my internship on Kwame Raoul’s campaign for Illinois Attorney General. It was through this internship that I discovered my passion for getting out the vote and protecting this civil right. My experience quickly reaffirmed that Political Science was definitely the right major for me!
However, I really started to build my relationship with Beyond Barnard during my sophomore year. After several raving reviews, I decided to meet with A-J Aronstein, the co-Dean of Beyond Barnard. In our witty sessions, we mapped out concrete steps for me to reach my professional goals. A-J and I went over everything, including successful networking, standout cover letters, and the perfect job interview. Every time I was in Beyond Barnard’s office, I was reminded of how many people constantly believe in me and wanted to help me every step of the way.
During my second internship search process, I knew that I wanted to be in New York City. Taking into account the limited number of paid internships, I realized that this would be impossible...unless I received one of Beyond Barnard’s grants. After receiving an offer from VoteRunLead (VRL), the largest nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to training women to run for public office, A-J walked me through the grant process. Several weeks later, I was shocked to hear that I had been granted $4,000 for my summer internship! Every summer, many Barnard students receive these stipends- it’s not unusual. Without Beyond Barnard’s mentoring program and grant, I would not have been able to gain such valuable work experience. As a “Jill-of-all-trades” at VRL, I coordinated political training events, researched donor profiles, and helped the CEO craft grant applications. This was inspiring work: I saw women decide on the spot that they were ready to run for office and diversify the voices in our government. I am so grateful to A-J and the Barnard alumnae for their generosity and relentless help through the process
This upcoming summer, thanks again to the amazing Beyond Barnard team (especially A-J), I will be interning for Senator Duckworth’s office in Washington, D.C. I am so excited to work at the Capitol and understand what it means after a candidate gets elected. I will be attending committee hearings, tracking legislation, drafting press releases and attending meetings with constituents and interest groups. I still can’t believe it!
- Elena Taeyaerts