Day 5 Reflection

Barry Lawrence

5-10-10

Reflection Paper Day 5

Today we had two Redlands Alumni speak to us about their experiences in Washington DC and how they got to where they are today. Jackie Kanatzar, class of ’04 and Lindsey Madson, class of ’03, had completely different experiences as far as how they got to Washington DC in the first place. Jackie seemed to have a more direct route to her career in Washington. Starting with a brief temp position for a non-profit organization then going straight to a staffer position in a Congressman’s office. From there, taking classes at “war college” in DC, she was able to qualify for the job she wanted in another Congressman’s office, then ultimately a Senator’s office. It was interesting to me to see not only how quickly one can rise through the ranks, but also how luck can and does play a huge role in who makes it and who doesn’t in this town. It is also good to know someone who works for Senator Shelby, senior ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Comity, for political economics is where I am most interested in working.

Lindsey had a very different experience in terms of coming to Washington. As a French major with Peace Corps experience, I would never see her as the “Washington type”. This, however, is encouraging news for a music major who has aspirations for (potentially) a Washington career, but not necessarily a government/international relations major. Interestingly enough, Lindsey has a job that most people would overlook, or even not know about at all. It was interesting to examine how the United States chooses to use USAid for policy related issues, such as what countries have natural resources we want access to, rather than who really needs our aid. In any event, Lindsey has a job in a relatively non-political field, meaning that she works for a company that doesn’t usually have to worry about partisanship or party affiliation, just focusing on getting the job done right and getting the bid.

Tonight was a huge leap in the forward direction with our social event at Sam Brown’s home (which was amazing!) After talking for at least twenty minutes, I discovered that we had much in common, including a love for politics that did not include it as our first career choice, and a passion for contemporary classical music. In any event, Sam has certainly proved that he has the connections necessary to make my aspirations of staying in Washington over the summer a reality, now I play the waiting game.