Michigan in Washington Student of the Week: Julie Wooldridge

Hometown: Manchester, MI

Major: Double major in Political Science and Linguistics

Minor: n/a

Internship placement: Legal Services Corporation

Why did you decide to do Michigan in Washington? My freshman year advisor told me about it during our first meeting, so I had
always wanted to do it. I also love DC and wanted to see what it would be like to live and work in the city.

What do you do during a typical day at your internship?

I work in the executive office, so my duties include assisting in event planning, general administrative duties, attending
calls/meetings with lawyers for an ongoing task force, and doing research on various topics.

What’s something that you’re proud of that you’ve done at your internship so far?

I helped host one of our major events of the year, our Access to Justice forum, where almost 400 people attended online. It was really great to see the forum carried out because I had been working on the event details since the beginning of February and had personally worked on many of the key features.

How has your skillset evolved or changed
since you began working on this internship? Is your internship in person? How
do you think it has changed ever since the pandemic began?

The main way my skill set has evolved during my internship is just being confident that despite not having been working in the office long, that I still have valuable input.
Also, I’ve gotten a lot better at taking initiative on projects which is key
when we’re working online and my supervisors don’t have the time to monitor
every single thing I do every second. In general, I have learned a lot more
about what it is like working at a non-profit and in the legal sector. My
internship is hybrid, but I have the option to go in-person every day I work. I
choose to work two days remotely and two days in-person because it works best
with my schedule while still letting me learn what it’s like to work in an office.
The internship is normally entirely in person and all the events would be in
person. I started working right before the January Board of Directors meeting,
which is normally in person but was virtual because of COVID. The April meeting
will be the first in-person meeting in two years, and I’ll be helping assist.

What advice would you give to a student interested in Michigan in Washington?

I would definitely recommend applying, even if you aren’t sure you want to go or you don’t think you’ll be a successful applicant. The
majors and experiences people have widely vary, so just giving it a chance is key. I applied on a whim sophomore year and knew when I was accepted that I had
to go. It’s super fun and you make great friendships with other Michigan students.
Another piece of advice is don’t get discouraged during the process of applying
for internships; it’s super competitive in DC and I had to readjust my standards when I first started applying.