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DC Summer Interns Are Hungry for Experience - and Food

Ying Fu

   Most college students with internships are hungry. For connections. For
   opportunities. For real food they can eat.
   They flock to Washington each summer to fulfill internships in fields
   they hope to enter after graduation. Smart interns know to keep their
   eyes on the prize -- that's the doughnut, not the hole. Each day is one
   day closer to a good job after graduation.
   In the meantime, for most interns, the experience means a big hole in
   their wallets, particularly for students who intern for low or no pay
   in the public sector. For example, only 9% of congressional offices
   advertise paid internships, according to a study done by [1]Pay Our
   Interns, an organization pushing for paid internships in government and
   the nonprofit sector.
   Sowith free food as their goal, interns track promotions online, follow
   Twitter for news of pop-up giveaways and scour local listings for
   events where the makings of a meal can be had.
   Ice cream social
   That's how Andrew Peng, a rising junior at Rutgers University, who is
   studying political science and strategic public communication at the
   school in Brunswick,New Jersey, found himself at a July 9 ice cream
   socialco-hosted by [2]Muslim Advocatesand[3]Latham and Watkins LLP, a
   Washington law firm.

     Intern [4]#IceCreamSocial in effect!
     Friendraising with our lead organizer and intern Hurya!
     [5]pic.twitter.com/LWkIjBd4bC
     -- Muslim Advocates (@MuslimAdvocates) [6]July 9, 2019

   "We were delighted to bring together interns from all walks of life to
   make connections and learn more about Muslim Advocates," said
   HaniAlmadhoun, director of development for Muslim Advocates, a civil
   rights organization.
   "It's a win-win. We learn from their ideas and benefit from their
   energy, and they come back understanding how vital they are to keeping
   movements like ours going," she said, adding, "They must have been
   hungry, too, since they ate all of our ice cream."
   Peng, an intern at [7]Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), tracks
   "various free food events" throughout Washington.

   On July 8, he scored a free sandwich during the 15th annual
   [8]Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day for wearing a cow-patterned
   accessory. Two other AAJC interns,TauheedIslam, 21, of Atlanta,
   Georgia, who is studying political science and government at Harvard
   University, and Dieu Linh Nguyen, 21, from Vietnam's HaiPhong, a rising
   senior at Beloit College in Wisconsin with a double major in media
   studies and critical identities studies, also cow-accessorized and
   accompanied Peng.

References

   1. https://payourinterns.com/
   2. https://muslimadvocates.org/
   3. https://www.lw.com/
   4. https://twitter.com/hashtag/IceCreamSocial?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   5. https://t.co/LWkIjBd4bC
   6. https://twitter.com/MuslimAdvocates/status/1148724995465592832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   7. https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/
   8. https://www.chick-fil-a.com/cow-appreciation-day

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