A New Experience Immerses Bucknellians in the Nation’s Capital

It's something of a rite of passage for college students to feel, at least to some degree, uncertain about what comes next. The same was true for David R. Hamill '81.

"I remember feeling a bit rudderless at the end of my junior year because, even though I loved my college experience, I wasn't sure what profession I was moving toward," says Hamill, who entered Bucknell as an accounting major but quickly switched to political science after taking classes with Professor Tom Travis, political science and international relations, and Professor Charles "Chuck" Longley, political science. "Both of them really opened up my mind, and it was Chuck who pointed me toward an internship in Washington, D.C." 

As it turned out, Hamill's D.C. experience was nothing short of life-changing. "I'd never been to D.C. before. It opened up a whole new world to me," says Hamill, whose internship led him to work for the City of Boston's government relations office, where he learned to write grants and educate congressional staff.

"My time in D.C. was so transformative that I wanted other students to be able to have that same kind of experience," says Hamill.

To make that happen, he has funded the David R. Hamill '81 Washington, D.C., Experience, a summer internship program for students who wish to cultivate their interests in nonpartisan policy, politics, law, government and public service. The program provides students with an internship, a financial stipend and housing, and covers the cost of taking a course through American University's Washington Semester Program.

"I just want students to be able to explore how their liberal arts education might lead to a career while getting a taste of everything D.C. has to offer," he says.

This summer, the first group of Hamill Experience students had the opportunity to do just that.

The Cohort

Max Quan '27

After Max Quan '27, business analytics from Cheshire, Conn., attended a Bucknell Club of Washington, D.C., networking event, hosted by the Center for Career Advancement, something clicked for him. "I knew that D.C. was a great place to study law, but after meeting so many successful and welcoming Bucknell alumni who live there, I realized that it would also be a really cool place to experience and build community."

With the support of Molly Gorby, a pre-law advising career coach, Quan applied to the David R. Hamill '81 Washington, D.C. Experience, and he secured an internship with the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.

"One thing I worked on this summer was a rate filing project, which involves looking at the economic factors that influence insurance company proposals to increase their premiums," says Quan. The work was meaningful and important, especially because Quan saw how large increases in premiums can place a major financial burden on people trying to find medical coverage. 

He also worked closely with Jack Hoadley '72, a health policy analyst and researcher at Georgetown whose work is focused on the No Surprises Act, a federal law that protects consumers from unexpected medical bills. "This was where my English — literary studies minor proved to be really useful," says Quan, who was in charge of reviewing complaint data and then writing a series of policy blogs. "Jack was a great mentor, and I proved to myself that I could handle these responsibilities."

During his time in the nation's capital, Quan not only strengthened his professional network; he received the kind of mentorship that opened up new career possibilities. "I always thought I'd go to law school, get a job at a firm and then work my way up from there, but this internship has shown me that there's a lot of impactful work to be done on the policy side of things."

Mia Mezger '27

Mia Mezger '27, a biology and psychology double-major from Port Tobacco, Md., has long been interested in the intersection of science and human systems. "I’m not a political science major, but I am concerned with environmental issues, food access and public health," says Mezger, who secured a position this summer as a government affairs intern with the Environmental Working Group (EWG). "This experience really allowed me to get my feet wet and step out of my comfort zone while also learning about something I really care about."

One of the projects Mezger worked on included comparing how New York public school districts address food ingredients of concern, which revealed to her just how much food-safety standards and transparency can vary between school systems. "Beyond the work itself, I am incredibly grateful to Wes Pyron '12, EWG’s senior director of philanthropy, for being such an amazing mentor," she says. "Over the course of many conversations over coffee or a meal, he offered advice and helped me feel more comfortable navigating D.C."

Along with learning about potential career paths in sustainability and public policy, Mezger developed a deeper understanding of D.C. as a vibrant community full of people ready to meet for coffee, share their experiences and help students launch their careers. "This summer taught me so much about myself and gave me greater confidence and direction for my future," she says. "For me, it became exactly the kind of transformative experience David Hamill hoped to create."

Ibby New '29

At the beginning of Ibby New '29's internship with the Office of General Counsel at Catholic University of America, she was given a substantial project that required her to put to use all the critical thinking and research skills that she’d been building as a history major.

 "I was tasked with doing land acquisition research for the Catholic University of America, which has been in existence since 1887," says New, who was connected to the position through Allison Prince '80. "In that time, they've expanded a lot, but they haven't had a meticulously organized system that tells them how particular plots of land were acquired, which can be a roadblock to campus planning."

Relying on skills in map analysis that she gained from an Early America course taught by Professor Claire Campbell, history, New spent her summer creating a chronological list of records to track the campus's growth, which often involved doing archival research in the University's archives as well as the National Archives and People's Archive. 

As someone who grew up in Alexandria, Va., New already had some familiarity with Washington, D.C. However, the Hamill Experience showed her another side of the city — and herself. "Living in D.C. by myself has been a great exercise in stepping out of my comfort zone and making social connections," she says. "And being here as a cohort with other Bucknell students offered a strong system of support for navigating this new experience."

Katherine Lenshin '28

During her summer in Washington, D.C., Katherine Lenshin '28, an international relations and economics double-major from Brooklyn, N.Y., immersed herself in the world of policy making as an intern for Winning Strategies Washington, a learning government relations and grants procurement firm.

"Throughout my internship, I gained a lot of insight into why lobbying exists and how it affects the basic functions of our government," says Lenshin, whose alumni connection on the job was Laura Lay '02, partner and director of grants. "Appropriations committees are responsible for allocating funds for various programs, but the public holds the power to engage with their representatives’ offices to voice the change they want to see."

What she learned on the job was bolstered by an international relations and law class that she took through American University’s Washington Semester Program. "We had visiting speakers come and talk about everything from career preparation to nuclear power and U.S. energy policy and national security," says Lenshin, who reached out to speakers to connect over coffee and explore what potential careers in those fields could look like.

Beyond her internship and class, Lenshin came away from the experience with a real sense of autonomy and community. "I had control over how I wanted to explore D.C. and what I wanted to take away from it," she says. "While having that kind of independence was really meaningful, it was also great to be part of a cohort. Mia and I lived together in an apartment, and Max and Ibby were always nearby. We all had our own work, and we were all able to do our own thing, but we were never alone in the experience."