Well Hello There

Hey Everyone,


I feel like it has been decades since I wrote in this last.  So many things have happened that I wanted to catch you up on  from my hiatus from the world of blogging. 


SPRING BREAK

My nephew Jesse in
 one of his Birthday Presents

A few weeks ago we had Spring Break and while some of my friends were jetting off to LA, to the Virgin Islands, to Europe, there was no better place in my mind to go then my two homes. Firs I made a quick stop at my actual home in Rhode Island. It was my nephew's first birthday and I was so fortunate to be able to be at his party. After the party was over I jumped into my Ford Explorer (which i have missed so dearly) and made the 5 hour journey back to my second home, Saint Michael's College. It was go nice to be back with my friends again.   I really realized how much i miss and love the people of SMC everyday while in DC. I have made many friends down here, but nothing can compare to my friends at St. Mikes. After spending a few days I packed all my stuff to leave for Rhode Island, but was blocked my more than 2 ft of snow falling in less that 24 hrs. Crazy! Eventually I traveled back to Rhode Island, where I focused on spending as much time as possible with family and helping out in the classrooms that I volunteer in every break. Oh yeah. I also had an interview at the state house in RI and am really hoping to get an internship with the RI Department of Education!!! 


A Capital Life=A Busy and Hectic Life

The White House 

Upon my arrival back into the city, I faced a two month stretch of a busy hectic schedule. With seminars piling up, the congress getting work done, and my looming research paper - I have not been able to breathe. I guess  it is part of the life. Would I exchange it for anything? No. Absolutely not. Sure, I could be seeing the Eiffel Tower, the pyramids of Egypt, Buckingham Palace, but truly nothing excites me more than to see the Capitol Building, the White House, and all the monuments on a daily basis. I will never have this opportunity again and I am working hard to make as much out of it as possible. Our speakers have been so amazing as of late, from members of congress, to FBI supervisors, to DNC staffers, to US Attorneys. 

My Class with
Congressman Cuellar (D-TX)

The best part about the speakers we have had so far, in my eyes at least, the fact that so many of them are alumni of the Washington Semester Program, some even have been students of my professor. This simple facts make political futures so easy to grasp - that the experience I have gotten at WSP will propel me into the political world with a step up. Whenever I sit and listen to alumni, a curious thought passes through my head...will i speak to this class one day? what will my title be? what will my bio say? what story would Dr. Lowenthal share about me before speaking? I never thought a career in politics was possible for me -- I always just envisioned myself returning to my small town of Portsmouth, RI and teaching forever. That has changed so much because of this program. I now can see myself moving down here and working on the hill, working for a non-profit, and maybe even becoming a lobbyist for education issues. These are all things that the WSP has made more possible and I am so glad that I chose this program. I am thankful for my busy and hectic schedule, because it means that I am getting to do so much, hear so much, and see so much. 


I hope to set aside more time to write more as the days pass, but now it's back to the research paper...30 pages to go :)


Stay honest and keep those around you honest, 
-Josh

To Lobby or Not to Lobby

Hello Everyone!!


This week in my American Politics seminar we are focusing on Interest Groups and Lobbyists. For those of you who don't know, an interest group is a collection of people who are organized to advocate for an issue or a set of issues. These interest groups can be small, like a community organization standing up for better schools, or large, like the national education association. These interest bring people together to affect public policy. Lobbyists, are individuals, often associated with interest groups, that advocate for issues. They are the people who meet with public officials and staff to discuss issues in hopes that legislation will favor their group or cause.


Yesterday, our class was fortunate enough to hear from a lobbyist who actually graduated from the Washington Semester in 2003. Lindsay Lee, a hill employee turned lobbyist, spoke to our class about her path to where she is now and about her job. Like other speakers, she reitterated the importance of network and taking any job that comes your way. Lindsay continued with a discussion about lobbyists, often thought of as a dirty word in DC. She talked about the importance of lobbying, giving a professiona voice to organizations and an organiziang board to get messages about. Like all fields, there are a few bad apples that ruin the bunch, and this has brought the lobbyist reputation down. Hearing Lindsay, however, deffinitely made me think a lot more about possibly becoming an education lobbyist. I really liked how down to earth she was and really genuinely cared about the message she was fighting for.

Life in DC has been crazy to say the least. From papers to office work to research to wassa work, my time has been consumed. Now, I am embarking on Spring Break. I will be attending my nephew's first birthday, visiting my school, and spending a lot of time with my family. Get excited!!

Stay honest and keep those around you honest!
- Josh