| 1212 New York Ave NW Washington, DC 20005  |
Take a good look at the picture above; I hope you love the background as much as I do, because this building behind me is what I'd like to introduce you to as "my home away from home" until the end of July. This is your official welcome to the Public Policy Office of the Alzheimer's Association...ready for your behind the scenes tour?
On the morning of June 2nd, as I stepped off of the elevator and into the front hallway of the 8th floor, I was taken back by my very first sight of the Alz. Association-Washington, DC office. With crystal clear glass walls, the perfect touch of purple accents, and an 8ft tall etching of the official Alz. Association symbol being the center focal point of the front room; it was everything I could have imagined. I had to pause for a second and let it sink in that my very first step into this office would symbolize another accomplishment in working towards achieving my dream of one day being an Alzheimer's Association Staff Member.
I go to swing the door open and march my way in &...SMACK! It was locked, and it now displayed a lovely imprint of my face on the glass door. Since I was too clueless to think of ringing the doorbell, I waited until a staff member was coming off the elevator, unlocked the door and led me to one of the lobby chairs to wait for my internship adviser. I sat there, drinking my bottled water when I lost my grip and spilled it in the chair....GREAT. Trying to scoop the spilled water off the seat and back into my bottle so no one would notice, I thought to myself, "I should write a HOW TO GUIDE for Embarrassing Yourself!" <- Luckily, I don't think anyone noticed my mishaps; however, they do now! haha! Sorry for the mess guys! :)
On the morning of June 2nd, as I stepped off of the elevator and into the front hallway of the 8th floor, I was taken back by my very first sight of the Alz. Association-Washington, DC office. With crystal clear glass walls, the perfect touch of purple accents, and an 8ft tall etching of the official Alz. Association symbol being the center focal point of the front room; it was everything I could have imagined. I had to pause for a second and let it sink in that my very first step into this office would symbolize another accomplishment in working towards achieving my dream of one day being an Alzheimer's Association Staff Member.
I go to swing the door open and march my way in &...SMACK! It was locked, and it now displayed a lovely imprint of my face on the glass door. Since I was too clueless to think of ringing the doorbell, I waited until a staff member was coming off the elevator, unlocked the door and led me to one of the lobby chairs to wait for my internship adviser. I sat there, drinking my bottled water when I lost my grip and spilled it in the chair....GREAT. Trying to scoop the spilled water off the seat and back into my bottle so no one would notice, I thought to myself, "I should write a HOW TO GUIDE for Embarrassing Yourself!" <- Luckily, I don't think anyone noticed my mishaps; however, they do now! haha! Sorry for the mess guys! :)
Coming into this internship, I was expecting to be one of at least 3-4 interns in the office, and that I'd be lucky to even have a chair and shared table as my workspace. To my surprise though, I was informed that I'm the ONE AND ONLY intern for the summer & I even got my own desk right in the middle of all the other staff members. I have my own phone line and even my very own ALZ.ORG email account! I could get used to this!
Take a step into my office ;) Since everyone else has lots of little personal touches added to their workspace, I decided why not add some character to my desk as well! I taped up the only two pictures that I got to bring with me to DC (one with me and my maw maw, and the other with the two of us plus my momma). I added a poem that I wrote about Alzheimer's disease back in 2010 for some inspiration, as well as a list of Internship Goals that I have for myself while I'm here.
The last stop of this segment of the behind the scenes tour is my favorite room in the office, the grand conference room! This, ladies and gentlemen, "Is where the Sausage is made" as they say a lot here in DC. HAHA. From weekly staff meetings, to phone conferences with over 500 advocates at one time, or monthly conference calls with all of the Alz Chapters throughout the nation, a lot of imperative tasks go on in this room.
I never realized just how much actually goes into making the Alzheimer's Association such a successful non-profit organization, but it's not a simple task. There is no such thing as unimportant busy work here because EVERYTHING is important; sometimes the littlest detail can be biggest make/break moment in a project. Working for the Alzheimer's Association is no typical 9am-5pm job; working late nights and into the weekends, traveling across the country for seminars and conferences, and spending their spare time reaching out to Advocates/Ambassadors/Members of Congress, these staff members put their heart and soul into what they do.
I'm honored to be included as a member of the team being in my 2nd internship with the Alzheimer's Association (my first one being with the Western Carolina Chapter...Shoutout to my awesome mentors there, Scott Herrick and Lesha Dodson!) Finishing up my second week as an intern here in DC, I have been working on a few great assignments already, with some even more spectacular projects coming my way soon! Even though they may require me to put on my big girl panties and step out of my comfort zone, I'm ready to take on whatever task they hand me! Keep checking in to see what kind of crazy DC adventures I get myself into next!
Until then, Toodles! :)
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