Cruising along the PA Turnpike around 7:30 last night, my stomach lurched as we passed the signs: Altoona I-99, 1 mile ahead. Altoona I-99, exit on right. We whipped past the signs, beyond Indiana and Somerset, New Stanton and Greensburg. There was still time to turn north, I thought, to go back home: Penn State University. Instead, I was hurtling southward, towards Washington, D.C. after my friends had returned, after classes had started, and well after I could start a new semester at Penn State. But after that one small pang of regret, the thrill of excitement ran up my spine. D.C.! I will spend the spring in our nation’s capital, interning and studying at Georgetown University. I am writing now at my wide white desk overlooking the rainbow row houses on O Street, a block away from Healy Hall, Georgetown’s Old Main. This semester I’ll check in with LAUS, describing a semester spent between studies at Georgetown and an internship with Sen. Gillibrand (D-NY) on Capitol Hill.
To begin, my name is Erin Morton, and I am a junior majoring in International Politics and History from Pittsburgh. I became a Paterno Fellow in January of last year, and I am a Paterno Ambassador and student coordinator for the Special Olympics 5K Beaver Stadium Run. I am also a Lion Ambassador and Schreyer Student Advancement Team member. My closet, desk, and headboard here are decked out with blue and white. I just can’t help myself! However, I did invest in some Hoya grey and blue, and will definitely cheer the Hoyas at basketball games this spring!
My internship is with the Democratic Senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand. I’ll be in her office on Capitol Hill three days a week, taking classes the other two days and at night. The program at Georgetown is designed for students to intern three days a week, and our class schedules are built around that core. I hope to discuss some of the activity on the Hill as I get acquainted with the culture. I hope you had a great syllabus week, and good luck this semester!