Heritage internships: more than a work experience
August 14, 2006| By Carr Taylor
The Heritage Foundation's 2006 summer interns pose with Heritage President Ed Feulner and Heritage member Norma Zimdahl in Allison Foyer.
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Each summer, more than 60 young conservatives serve as interns at The Heritage Foundation. Working directly with our research analysts, policy-makers and professional staff, Heritage interns gain valuable experience even as they gain a firmer understanding of conservative principles. MyHeritage.org has invited this summer’s interns to describe their experiences.
My experience this summer as a Heritage Foundation intern has been more than I would have thought possible in just ten weeks. Heritage has provided me with a series of remarkable opportunities to develop through challenging responsibilities and reasoned conservative discussion. For a rising college senior, less than a year away from entering the workforce, this experience has been extremely important. It taught me a lot about myself, my career options, and what it means to be a conservative.
Unlike most other young Washington interns who are stuck in a broom closet answering phones, I enjoy a lot of responsibility and room to be creative. I am involved in several projects around the office, and I am occasionally tasked with small projects totally under my purview. I am treated as a full member of the Heritage staff in both the privileges I am accorded and the duties that are expected of me.
But a Heritage Foundation internship is not just about the work experience. For example, I was given the opportunity to hear from some of the foremost conservative speakers and leaders of our time. Among them was Natan Sharansky, author of the book The Case for Democracy, whose reflections on freedom and totalitarianism are both personal and profound.
This summer at Heritage has afforded me many remarkable experiences. I will not forget the lessons learned in both the workplace and the lecture auditorium. This dual nature of a Heritage internship is what makes it the best in Washington. The work assigned to me has been engaging and productive, and the focus on passing down the conservative tradition has helped to further my thought and ideals. My memories from this summer will resound for a long time to come.
Carr Taylor is an intern at The Heritage Foundation.
