Before I came to Washington D.C., much of the anticipation that I had had came from knowing that I would have the opportunity to meet many different people from many different backgrounds as well as have a unique academic experience. However, I did not really consider how much I would evolve as a person and as a leader during my time here. As someone who has been in school for the last fifteen years of my life, my mind, much like those of most college students, has been programmed to think primarily about the academic benefits of an educational experience and not as much about how experiences can connect on a personal level. This is not to suggest that I did not receive any significant academic advantages from my time here in D.C. by any means, however my biggest accomplishments are more comprehensive in nature as opposed to simply a scholastic achievement. My achievements have come in the form of improving as a leader, as a student of higher learning, and as a person on the aggregate.
Since I did not possess much work experience prior to participating in The Washington Center Program, I never knew what my leadership style was simply because I had never been put into any legitimate leadership roles. I had always viewed myself as somewhat of a leader because I consider myself to be an outgoing person, but I never had much of a leadership style that I could call my own. This new style that I have developed while in Washington D.C. has come through working with several other interns with different tasks that we have to perform.
At my internship with the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center), we were given a series of tasks specifically for us to do, and it would be up to all of us to delegate these tasks for ourselves since we may not have as much time to complete all the tasks we had been asked to do by the assigned deadline. Consequently, we as interns had to take it upon ourselves to decide who would and was capable of performing certain tasks at that time. I have found that my leadership style is more hands-off in nature in the sense that I do not feel the need to micromanage whatever I asked the interns to do. Granted, I am sure that once I am put into more important leadership roles, my leadership methods will probably change and be more assertive, but in the meantime, I have found this hands-off approach very beneficial and critical towards maintaining a good working relationship with my colleagues.
With this newly developed leadership style has come a change in personality on my part as well. In my Individual Development Plan, I mention that I wanted to improve upon my assertiveness yet also attempt to discover the balance between that newfound assertiveness and non-confrontation. While this balance is difficult to attain, I have found that I have been able to be more assertive when the situation properly calls for it. More importantly, studying the dynamics of different personalities has helped shape me into what kind of person that I would like to be personally and professionally. While interning at the NESA Center, I have had the opportunity to meet people with several different personality types. Along the way, I have made mental notes as to what personality attributes I would like to keep, to develop, and, as well as traits that I would not like to have.
Even amongst all of these personal achievements, however, The Washington Center program is still academic in nature and thus I have accomplished a great amount academically as well. One of the most interesting aspects of my U.S. Foreign Policy in the 21st Century class that I took while in Washington is that it was taught in the style of a graduate school seminar, in which the entire class was driven by class discussions of readings and writing policy proposals. Furthermore, I really enjoyed learning how to write policy papers simply because these essays are different than the typical essays one writes in a high school or undergraduate course. While a research paper is very structured in nature, policy papers are persuasive in nature, meaning that the style in which the paper is written is equally as important as the substance that is conveyed through that style.
However, my favorite academic experience was the opportunity that I had to work alongside a faculty member of the NESA Center named Dr. Murhaf Jouejati, a scholar specializing in Syrian politics and the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Part of my internship involved what my supervisor created known as a mentorship program, in which we would be paired up with a faculty member and assist him in any projects that he/she may be doing. I had the chance to help him create a presentation before a moderately high ranking group of American military officials on the Arab-Israeli conflict. More importantly, we have had a chance to have fascinating discussions on the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as on Syrian politics, and from this we have become good friends and will be keeping in touch once I return home.
I am very thankful for the opportunities that I have had here in Washington D.C. while participating in The Washington Center program. The experiences that I have had here have far exceeded my expectations of what life in D.C. would be like. This program has impacted my life so much that it has inspired me to come live here, attend law school, and work at an international trade law firm in the D.C. area. If I were to reach that point, I would love to give back to The Washington Center as much as the Center has given me, if such were possible. Perhaps a future TWC student can intern wherever I work and I will be able to give him/her the same experiences my internship did for me.
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