by Michael Whitesides (Spring 2017)
When I arrived in D.C. back in January the one thing people said more than anything else was that it was “an exciting time to be in D.C.” After spending over four months here, I think “exciting” was the wrong word to describe the atmosphere here in the District. Leading up to the inauguration was like waiting for a thunderstorm to hit and when it finally did, it felt like the entire house shook. The first few weeks of the Trump Administration colored my experienced here in D.C. like nothing else I had ever experienced. I took part in the largest public demonstration in United States history when I took to the streets with so many of my classmates for the Women’s March. I was the one of the people answering the hundreds of phone calls that flooded Senator Warren’s office in opposition to Trump’s cabinet nominations and executive orders. None of this was exciting; in fact most of it was stressful and wore on me day after day. My semester here in D.C. was marked first and foremost by my individual struggle against this administration and while I was so happy I was here to carry out that struggle, I do wish it could have been different.
Tax March
But despite the craziness of this political circus I feel deeply in love with Washington D.C. this semester. I have never felt quiet as home as I do here in the District. The sense of community and people who make up this unique city are unlike any whom I have ever meet. This city is diverse, engaged, and while transient, so very alive. When I wasn’t answering phones in Senator Warren’s office, I was exploring museums, attending a Nationals game, or exploring some of the amazing restaurants that exist throughout the city. D.C. is not just the political center of the country, it is an amazing city that has so much to offer and it is in that intersection that I feel in love with it. It is here that I could pursue both “work” and “play” sometimes all in the same day. By having both, I think D.C. has it all and it is why I will undoubtedly be moving back sometime in the near future.
National's Game
Michael is a senior studying Political Science & English and interned with Senator Elizabeth Warren's Office this semester.
