Before I served as an investigative intern with Montgomery County's Office of the Public Defender (OPD), never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd enter the legal field. My program manager at The Washington Center encouraged me to choose the placement, and now I'm determined to go to law school and continue in this profession. Throughout the course of the semester, I know I've already made a difference in the lives of our clients. My daily responsibilities include interviewing witnesses, visiting inmates in jail, attending trials, helping attorneys in my office with a range of projects, writing and delivering subpoenas, and obtaining files from various sources.

The most exciting aspect of my experience has been collaborating on two first-degree murder trials. Along with the rest of the OPD team, I followed two cases from the actual incident until sentencing and participated in planning the strategy that was used in court. My specific job required me to travel to the crime scenes, photograph my surroundings, take precise measurements and later draw to-scale diagrams.

There's so much energy and excitement found inside the "Beltway," a term commonly used in D.C. to refer to the highway that encircles the nation's capital. Hearing high-profile speakers, taking special tours and living close to the Metro, Washington Center interns always find themselves right in the heart of the action. I urge future students to ask many questions and totally immerse themselves in this environment. Most museums and exhibits in the District are free, so it's easy for interns to experience the city without emptying their bank accounts!

As an intern with the Institute of International Education (IIE), I supported the International Visitor Leadership Programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. I helped develop programming specific to interest areas such as education, politics, economics, science and mathematics. One of our major undertakings this semester was coordinating a weeklong seminar in the nation's capital for 140 Foreign Fulbright Scholars. We arranged for participants to dine with local residents at their homes, visit nearby high schools and stay in area hotels. The highlight of my placement at IIE was being exposed to bright students from around the world. Their stories were inspirational, and I learned more about the potential for global communication in a single week in Washington than I learned an entire semester taking courses on campus.

My program manager at The Washington Center connected me with a fulfilling internship opportunity I wouldn't have discovered on my own. The course I selected, "American Foreign Policy Post 9-11: The Role of Race, Religion and Politics," added an important dimension to my time in Washington. I always looked forward to the relaxed but informative discussions that our professor led each week.

Through working with the IIE, I've come to understand the ways in which nongovernmental organizations, federal agencies, lobbying groups and businesses interact to influence policy in D.C. I believe that coming to The Washington Center gave me the chance to better evaluate what I want for my future. Plus, I established important contacts this semester, which will undoubtedly prove to be a great asset as I advance my career in any direction I choose.