Newspaper Page Text
December 1981
Spelman Spotlight
Page 8
Internships Offer Learning
GM Offers Challenging Experience
by Angela Moore
Special Features Editor
During the summer of 1981 I
had the rewarding experienceof
being selected for an internship
on Capital Hill. I became an
intern through a field - ex
perience course in the Govern
ment and Politics Departmental
the University of Maryland.
In order to become an intern, I
had to find a place on Capital Hill
to do my internship. Conse
quently, I had to go up on the
Hill and sell myself to various
senatorial and congressional
offices. Fortunately, I was able to
be selected on my first interview,
which was with Congressman
Walter E. Fauntroy (Democrat -
Washington, D.C.), Chairman of
the Congressional Black Caucus.
Beginning work that same
By Rosalind Gates
Last February, Calvin Wiley, a
personnel manager from
General Motors - Cadillic Motor
Car Division, visited the Dual
Degree office. I noticed him
walking aorundtheofficeduring
my work study hours and decid
ed to ask him his concern for
being there. He told me of his
position and that he was looking
for a few students for summer
internships in the field of
engineering. I was estatic. I
informed him that I was a
freshman, (at that time) and a
chemistry engineering major. He
was impressed with my conver-'
sation, and then decided to
interview me on the spot.
Three days later, I received a
long - distance phone call from
Detroit, Michigan (my home
town) fromt he company, which
wanted to interview me further.
Within a week, I received a
round trip ticket to Detroit for an
extensive interview with the
Education Department of
General Motors - Cadillac. I was
estatic!
I experienced six hours of
interviews with four different
departments. I was evaluated by
each of them. They questioned
my longandshorttermgoalsand
what I might possibly want from
General Motors Corporation. I
was given the opportunity to
choose from the four
departments. By the end of the
day, I had gotten the job, and
that evening I was back in
Atlanta, Ga.
My internship began the first
week after returning home from
finals. I chose to work in the
polymer physical lab. Each of the
seventy - five summer students
hired (myself being the only
Black female) were assigned to
different projects. My project
was to perform testing on the
plastic materials being purchas
ed by the company for the 1982
model Cadillac.
After testing was performed, I
devised a report to compare my
results with the company’s
previous results. This report
contained any indication of
failure in testing parameters, as
well as failure in the materials. I
presented this orally to my
division, and then was evaluated
after an intense question - and -
answer period with my division
head.
This internship was a good
experience for me. I learned a lot
about the politics of working for
a large industry and how impor
tant it is to be punctual and alert
in a working atmosphere. I also
had a chance to perform as an
engineer and not just study to
become one.
Activist Ralph Nader.
Another extension of the
intern program is the opportuni
ty for interns to key into the
Library of Congress’s computer,
Scorpio, which make informa
tion easily accessible. I attended
legislative process workshops as
well as assisted with voter
registration drives. I became
more knowledgeable of the
various committees and sub -
committees on the hill. I began
to learn skills of lobbying tactics
and campaign management.
The best experience for career
preparation is to obtain ex
perience within the career one
plans to enter. My memorable
experiences on Capital Hill have
aided me in becoming a much
more aware Spelmanite.
Interning On Capitol Hill
afternoon opened many new
doors for me.
Since my internship was
through the University of
Maryland, I had to fulfill dual
responsibilities. The University
of Maryland required that I keep
a daily log, complete three
hundred working hours, write a
final paper on my internship, and
schedule bi - monthly con
ferences with my professor.
Secondly, I had to meet the
requirements for a Con
gressional Black Caucus Intern,
which included attending all
CBC press conferences and
meetings and implementing and
managing files on current issues
that the CBC was associated with.
Every morning I searched
through the morning papers
looking for an article or informa
tion that might be of assistance to
the Caucus. I also prepared
briefings for my supervisor and
answered all constituent mail
directed to the Caucus. Yet, this
internship was not all work and
no enjoyment!
A great deal of my time was
spent meeting people and
becoming involved in activities
on Capital Hill. Being able to
attend business luncheons and
receptions and discussing
current events gave me a new
insight on politics. For instance, I
learned that a lot of lobbying is
done informally. I met various
distinguished people from Con
gresswoman Shirley Chisholm to
the Speaker of the House,
Thomas O’Neil. Becoming in
volved in organizations such as
the Young Democrats, the Con
gressional Black Caucus Youth
Network, and the Capital Hill
Intern Association against
Budget Cuts assisted me in
becoming acclimated to Capital
Hill. Also, attending both
Democratic and Republican
functions gave me a new
awareness of how intricate the
political arena actually is on
Capital Hill.
During my internship, I made
sure I did not miss out on the
various exciting learning ex
periences available. I took ad
vantage of intern programs
sponsored by the Congressional
intern office, which invited guest
speakers for the intern’s benefit.
I was able to hear several
speakers, including Senator
Edward Kennedy, and Consumer