The D.C. Externship Experience

Matthew Williger is a first-year CIPA Fellow currently completing an externship semester in Washington D.C.  He can be reached at mlw287@cornell.edu. 

CIPA is about opportunity and flexibility. This combination has allowed me to do things that wouldn’t have been possible in many other programs. Most recently, when I was presented with an opportunity to work with the World Bank during the spring semester of my first year, CIPA was flexible and dynamic enough to help me capitalize on that offer.

So, near the end of January, in the midst of feeling like I’d just arrived and connected with so many great and inspiring Fellows in Ithaca, I packed up and prepared for Washington, D.C. to embark on what CIPA officially calls the Washington Externship Semester.

When I decided to come to CIPA I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the off-campus offerings. Prior to graduate school, I spent over four years abroad, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. I worked across several sectors of development, including health, education, and entrepreneurship. I was fortunate enough to conduct research on sustainable development models around the world.

I felt the natural next step was to acquire the tools necessary to apply my practical experience on a larger scale by attending graduate school and getting involved in policy. The Washington Externship seemed to be a perfect complement to the three semesters I would spend on campus.

The past few months have been a challenging and exciting whirlwind of full-time work and a near full course load. I’m taking Grant Writing, Project Management, and Development Economics. Two of the classes are at Graduate School USA and one is part of an independent study arranged through a professor at Cornell (another example of the opportunity and flexibility I mentioned).

In addition, as part of the externship requirements, you also write a research paper, arrange for three informational interviews (and subsequent analyses), and attend colloquium, where you meet and network with Cornell alumni in D.C. Needless to say there haven’t been many idle moments in my time here.

Thankfully I’m not going through all of this alone! There are several other Fellows here with me this semester, making up a tight cohort. They represent institutions including The White House, the Department of Justice, and Xinhua News Agency.

The Washington Externship isn’t a good fit for everyone, but for some of us it’s the perfect marriage between a Cornell education and substantive experience in the nation’s capital. Practically speaking, many Fellows complete the Washington Externship during their last semester at CIPA. Frequently they get hired full-time at the end of their externships.

So far, my time in D.C. has not disappointed. I’ve learned so much and met a multitude of people in positions I aspire to. The mix of experiential and theoretical training has helped me advance my understanding of tricky global issues. With several weeks to go, and potential for extending through the summer, I look forward to seeing where else this externship semester takes me.