What are your favorite experiences/details/jobs as part of your internship experience so far?
Mahaffy: My most notable experience so far was getting to meet the Attorney General, Merrick Garland. That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, I think what will really stick with me is finally getting exposed to real-life applications of what I have studied for the last three years. I love being around people who share the same passions, but also have years of experience in the field. I learn so much by just being in the same room as these amazing environmental lawyers.
Henning: Prior to interning at the Department of Education, I had centered all my class projects around education policy, and I thought that was the biggest role of the Department. However, I assist with the Congressionally Funded Community Projects, which are grants (not policy), and I have loved reading the innovations that different organizations have designed to support their students, as well as working with the grantees themselves in the process. In the process of reviewing applications, assisting grantees and other reviewers, and working with my team, I have found that the Department does so much more than just policy: they fund educational innovations. Being a part of a team that is full of well-rounded and optimistic people who love to help other people/organizations to do good things has been my favorite part of my internship. Further, I found that that kind of work is the biggest role of the Department: teamwork and support for outside organizations.
How has rowing/student-athlete life prepared you for this kind of job?
Mahaffy: Well, first things first, waking up for work at 9 a.m. is nothing when practice is usually at 6:30 a.m. But on a more serious note, rowing has really helped develop my professional skills. I think it is hard to see this when you’re still in school, but I am noticing my skills paying off here in D.C. For instance, we have a rule on our rowing team that if you see someone new hanging around the boathouse, you should welcome them to practice with open arms. I think developing this soft skill of being able to strike up a conversation with anyone has helped me approach senior-level attorneys with questions I have about assignments, career paths, or even life advice. Additionally, being a student-athlete really hones your time management skills. I find that I can communicate with my supervisors about deadlines. I think it also helps me be realistic about what I can get done in a certain allotment of time. (However, like a true student-athlete, my competitiveness comes into play because I love to beat a deadline.) Overall, I think being a student athlete gives me a spark in the office!
Henning: I joined rowing as a walk- on, knowing very little about the sport and being highly inexperienced. Now, as a varsity athlete, I have found that the process of learning never ends, no matter how much more you learn about where you are at and what you are doing. In my athletics journey, I have developed a skill of, for lack of a better phrase, becoming involved. Becoming involved means getting to know your teammates inside and outside of sport. More importantly though, it means loving the reward of putting the team first, instead of yourself. To me, being involved with those around you is not just a skill of listening, communication, and hard work; it is a lifestyle, and that has helped me immensely in doing government work, which is all about putting the public (team) interest first.
What can you say about the Scarlet Service program and the opportunities it provides as part of your student experience at Rutgers?
Mahaffy: Once I return to campus, I will be telling everyone I know to take advantage of Scarlet Service. As a program we talk about how our experiences can “open a mind, change a life, and save a democracy.” I did not think that this mantra would be true until I got here. It is easy to get caught up in a city like Washington, D.C., but the program has made my time here super accessible. Additionally, this program has made a dream of mine affordable, as well as provided me with an experience that I could not find anywhere else. In terms of my student experience, Scarlet Service has given me the opportunity to directly apply my major of environmental policy in a government agency that makes big-time impacts in environmental law. I am realizing how much I must learn, which is super exciting. Additionally, not only am I meeting new people, but I am also gaining new ideas and perspectives. I feel lucky that I get to learn from some of the best environmental lawyers out there and that they want to invest in me as well.
Henning: My experience at RSS- DC has been transformative, not just because it has given me a sense of direction and passion for public service (which I already felt inclined towards), but it has given me hands-on experience in dealing with the policy paradoxes that we hear about every day in the news. Outside of the hands-on work, it has been a constant source of inspiration for me because D.C. is full of people driving for change, which drives me to soak up all the information that I can while I am here, and to continue to do so once I leave.
