Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Hilltop Hosts Government Week

The CIA, members of Congress and other government experts descended on Georgetown this week for Government Week, a Career Center showcase for students in search of exposure to the field.

The events throughout the week ranged from a workshop that focused on ways to develop a resume for government positions, to debunking myths that surround federal government jobs. Although there was a good turnout for most of the events–averaging about 35 students–the CIA Roundtable event which featured opportunities to hear from CIA representatives about the security clearance process drew 131 students.

Another event, Interning on Capitol Hill, highlighted the experiences of two Georgetown students, Geoffrey Bible (SFS ’12) and Bryan Woll (COL ’12). Despite their ideological differences — as Bible is chairman of College Republicans and Woll is president of College Democrats — their experiences on the Hill were quite similar.

Both mentioned that their days were spent mostly answering phones and sorting through mail, but occasionally included going to hearings or receptions. Woll offered some good tips for students who wanted to pursue an internship.

“Set realistic expectations and be humble,” Woll said. “Go in there realizing where you stand and learn to embrace your busy work, embrace the small tasks. Be the best phone answerer or mail sorter.”

Bible emphasized the opportunities he had to make connections and the importance of the overall experience. “I learned way more there about D.C. than I actually learned being here on the Hilltop,” he said.

Students who attended the talk found the speakers to be informative.

“I left the meeting with a much more realistic idea of what a congressional internship involves and how to get one,” freshman Wells Robinson said.

Tara Duprey, assistant director of external relations at the Career Education Center feels strongly about why these industry-focused weeks are so important.

“The weeks are designed for students. The whole purpose is to make students aware of the variety of career options available to them, regardless of their school or major,” she said. “We do this because we’re committed to all Georgetown students and have resources that can be of use to all of them.”

Duprey mentioned that there has been plenty of support for the industry-based weeks sponsored by the Career Center, from not only alumni but various employers.

“We want to combat the idea that our resources and tools are only designed for business students. We have tools that all students can benefit from,” she said. “We really want to get students to notice the opportunities available to them.”

With six industry focused weeks last year compared to this year’s four, the hardest task for the Career Center has been to get student interaction and involvement. In previous years, similar career events were spread throughout the academic year but now they have been grouped together in the hopes more students will take notice and this will yield stronger attendance.

“We basically repackaged the programming we have always done to reach a wider student audience,” said Duprey.

Government Week will be followed by a Health and Science Week; Education and Non-Profit Week; and Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Week.”

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