Hamilton Lugar Washington, D.C. Global Policy Program

Description of the video:

Hello, my name is Katherine Ntiamoah and I am a IU alum who spent a semester in Washington DC. When I was in Washington DC, it was a transformative experience. I loved being able to see how power and how policy was created. I loved being able to interact with the people that I saw every single day in the news making and transforming the way that the United States operated, the way that we were perceived overseas and being able to see diplomacy on the front lines. I think that the time that I had in Washington not only exposed me to the work that I wanted to do, but it reaffirmed that I had a place in Washington. As a Midwesterner, I always thought that Washington DC was something that was unattainable. But after living there for a couple of months and interacting people at the state department, at think tanks on Capitol Hill, I knew that I was meant to be there and it transformed the trajectory of my career because I interned at the state department and it became my career for almost 20 years. DC is a stepping stone for any career in foreign policy, international affairs and policym. If you want to understand how the job is going to be transforming over the next couple of decades, if you want to understand how policy is created, how it moves, how it shapes, and who gets to shape it, you have to go to Washington DC. Growth happens when you're uncomfortable. Growth happens when you are exposed to new things and people and ideas. And Washington DC is the best of both worlds. It's a world where you can learn about policy. You can learn about your future career and what it might look like. But it's also a place of culture, of exploration, of fun. I mean, Washington DC is a fun city. It's a city for young people. It's a city for those who want to really understand the blending of culture, of policy, of fun. It's a really interesting place. The people you'll meet are fantastic. The people that I took the classes with during the semester, we're still friends today. We still connect and share ideas about our careers, about our family, and we reflect on what we did almost 20 years ago. When you move to Washington DC, not only will you take some fantastic classes with foreign policy practitioners that are still shaping the way that policy is implemented and how it's formed, you'll also live in the heart of Washington DC. IU just purchased a building right near Embassy Row, so you'll be steps from the Australian Embassy. You'll be in the space where there's thousands of think tanks that are shaping the way that foreign policy is created. You'll be in the center of it all. It's a beautiful building. It's a beautiful campus. You'll be connecting with other IU students and you'll have a host of events that are taking place in the building as well. So, it'll be a one-stop shop for your DC experience. Are you worried about the cost? The cost of living and working in Washington DC is very similar to what it would cost to be a student here for a semester in Bloomington. What's a typical day in Washington DC? You'll wake up in the morning and you'll start your day in the beautiful building in the heart of Washington DC. You'll take some classes. You may stop by a think tank for a policy discussion that they're having. You'll attend a lunch in the IUDC capital campus. After your classes, you'll go to your internship. And after your internship, you could spend the evening exploring Washington DC. One of my favorite activities, exploring the monuments at night, or going to an after hours event at one of the thousands of free museums in Washington DC Museum. Your internship could be on Capitol Hill working with an influential senator or representative. You could be working at a think tank shaping policy discussions. You could also work at a government agency implementing US foreign policy. There's no better way to accelerate your career than spending it in Washington DC. Your top three reasons to go to Washington DC, access to influential alumni, exclusive policy dinners with foreign policy practitioners, and access to think tank professionals that are actively shaping US foreign policy. Your experience in Washington DC will be similar to an academic school year in Bloomington, Indiana. So you'll have the same number of breaks and you'll still be following the same academic calendar. The deadline for the summer program is February 15th. The deadline for the fall program is March 15th and the deadline for the spring is October 15th. If you're seeing this is your sign to apply.