Major: Sociology

• Internship: US Department of Education
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennedy-reed-9a9490239/
• Current Position: UC Davis Washington Program Peer Advisor

Tell us about your internship – what kind of work did you do? What did you find rewarding?

My internship was a the Department of Education for the Office of Legislative and Congressional Affair. I was one of four interns in the office, which I found really nice, as I had other people to collaborate with and discuss projects with. Most of the work that I did was research based, for example, one of the projects that I worked on was researching and compiling information a list of resources that a specific congressional district would be able to benefit from. We did other miscellaneous work such as updating office databases, tracking mid-term races, attending congressional hearings and education events, and siting in on internal office meetings. I found work with tangible outcomes to be the most rewarding. For example, I helped to create a congressperson's biography for a meeting between the representative and a senior department official. It was rewarding to see and hear that their meeting went well and established a new and productive working relationship. 

Have your career or life goals changed as a result of your internship? If so, how? 

Yes, prior to my internship, I was pretty set on going to law school, but after my internship, I have shifted those goals and want to look towards a career in public service and possibly getting a masters in public policy. 

Share an exciting memory from your internship – something unexpected, an accomplishment, someone you met.

One exciting memory from internship was meeting Miguel Cardona, the current Secretary of Education! 

Share a story about something special you did in Washington – an event you attended, a place you went, an exciting talk, etc. 

One exciting thing that I did while in Washington, DC was attending a Supreme Court oral argument. I attended Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC, which were two cases concerning the future of affirmative action in college applications. Only 50 members of the public are allowed in to hear oral arguments and as a result, people tend to line up really early to hear a case. I got into line at 8 pm the day before the arguments and had to sleep outside the court before being let in at 9 am. While, it was a hard night, it was super rewarding as I was able to talk to a few really interesting people in line and was able to watch both cases in person! 

How has living in the nation's capital for a quarter changed you?

Living in Washington, DC helped me better understand what I would like to do in the future and also helped me to find more independence and confidence in myself! 

Do you have any advice for future UCDC students?

Make sure to plan out events and places that you want go to. 10 weeks goes by really quickly, so its a good idea to plan everything out so you can accomplish everything want to!