A Weekend in Washington, DC

Katie D.

November 19, 2011 - 4:42 PM

Greetings from the nation's capitol! It's been a whirlwind couple of days out East for the finalists weekend for the Mitchell Scholarship to study next year in Ireland/Northern Ireland. Not only have the events surrounding the Mitchell been exciting and engaging, but I've also enjoyed my time in Washington immensely. In the day and a half I've been here, I've reconnected with some old friends from the UO; visited Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Peter DeFazio; toured the capitol building; mastered the metro system; and done some wonderful browsing through book stores and chocolate shops in the Dupont area of downtown Washington DC.

All that, of course, in addition to the formal Mitchell reception for all finalists, panelists, and supporters; and the interview for the scholarship, which was earlier this afternoon. The other finalists are interesting and engaging folks, and I am excited that some of us will be colleagues and fellow travelers through a year of study in Ireland next year. But I'm trying to put results somewhat out of my mind for now.

Visiting Congress yesterday was such a joy. The UO Communications department put me in touch with the offices of Wyden and DeFazio, and I got to meet briefly with both. I had a very surreal moment as I hustled from the metro station past the Senate buildings, past the Library of Congress, past the Capitol building, and into the House of Representatives. That isn't an experience you have every day.

Both my congressmen were gracious and encouraging of my bid for the scholarship, and were interested to hear about my activities and interest in Ireland. As former Ducks themselves, they were interested in how my UO life has led to this opportunity for the scholarship. I was honored to meet them both, and was also happy to share a little of my own story, and to thank them for their leadership in our state.

I also got a backstage tour of the capitol with one of Peter DeFazio's staff members. We sat and watched House deliberations for almost twenty minutes, and she talked through some of the behind-the-scenes procedures on the Hill.

I have also had the wonderful support friends during this weekend. All my community across the country has been sending their support and encouragement, especially this afternoon in the count down to my interview. But I also have the spectacular good luck of having three of my best undergraduate friends, Leah, Olivia, and Maddy, all wind up in Washington DC this weekend. This meant that I had a kind of UO reunion, in addition to everything else.

Of course, what I'm not writing about so far is the elephant in the closet. I think I'll be hearing back about the scholarship tonight. My interview this afternoon went really well. The panelists were friendly and asked interesting follow-up questions, mostly focusing on my work with Inside-Out and No More Deaths. I have no idea what the outcome will be, and cannot wait to hear. But I feel a kind of jittery calm, and at least know that I did everything in my power to prepare, and that I had all the best people supporting me through the process.

Hopefully I'll have good news to report tomorrow! Either way, I am so happy with this weekend.