I started my internship at the Trust for the National Mall a month ago. And since then, I have worked on seating charts, RSVPs, menu items, table cloths, and logistics, all for one big event. The Foundations of Freedom event served as a thank you dinner for some of the Trust’s biggest supporters. The night included a speech by key-note speaker David Rubenstein, which was followed by a panel discussion with Mr. Rubenstein and three professors, one from Georgetown University, one from George Washington University, and one from Duke University.

For the evening of the event, we arrived at the National Archives at 4 p.m. to finalize name cards with the calligrapher who was on site for last minute changes, and also to do a walk through with the entire staff. Boy was it different than a Campus Activities Board event back at the University of New Hampshire! The amount of setting-up that I had to do consisted of alphabetizing the escort cards on the check-in table. The team of caterers formed a small army of fast moving men and women, all in black. They had tables and lovely place settings up and ready to go in the Rotunda Gallery before I’d finished my alphabetizing. The room looked beautiful; tables with overflowing bouquets of orange and yellow sat amidst gold rimmed plates and stemmed glasses. Orange accent lighting climbed the walls around the gallery while a soft spotlight hit the podium, creeping not one inch past the gates of where the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights were housed.

The National Archives is very clear and very strict about the lighting in the Rotunda. Photography is never allowed and there were guards on site at the event to ensure that no one broke this rule. The only photographer, a nice man that I had the opportunity to talk to during our dinner in the back room, was the only person allowed to take pictures at the National Archives that night. He told me about the 9-week vacation he’d just returned from with a family. He was hired to take pictures of a family vacation in the Caribbean, all expenses paid… can that be my job?

As with any event, things went wrong, challenges were overcome, and the only ones that noticed were the people behind the scenes. As the only one from the Trust not wearing heels, I was quickly established as ‘the runner’ and abandoned my post and Jenny at the check-in table in order to run from Katherine to Mindy to Ciara to the calligrapher and back, multiple times. People sometimes find it strange that I enjoy the stress and the time-crunches event planners have to handle, but I love it.  

Once everyone was seated and had dessert in front of them, it was time for the speeches. However, my stomach protested against watching silently, and I headed to the back room instead to enjoy some delicious lamb, potatoes, and pear crisp with the photographer, some of the catering staff, and the other interns. I do regret not hearing Mr. Rubenstein speak. He is an amazing speaker and very passionate about the value of America’s heritage. Mr. Rubenstein gave $7.5 million to help repair the Washington Monument after it was damaged in the magnitude 5.8 earthquake last year and was also a major supporter of the Library of Congress’ Book Festival. That Thursday evening, he spoke about the importance of the documents in the Rotunda Gallery and about his donation to the Archives. Mr. Rubenstein purchased (yeah, purchased) one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta from a private owner and donated it to the National Archives earlier this year…no big deal or anything. I wish my stomach wasn’t growling so loudly because I know I would have enjoyed Mr. Rubenstein’s speech, as much as I did enjoy the pear crisp.

After a long day, it was really nice to be able to walk out the door behind the last guest; cleanup pretty much meant me grabbing my purse and getting out of the way of the catering army. On to the next event!