Washington: A Growing Experience

The Capitol at night reflected across the pool

Me, Chantel, Jessica, and Allie in front of the White House

When I first made the decision to go to Washington, I honestly had no clear understanding of exactly what the trip and the seminar through the Washington Center would entail. Coming from a fairly conservative family, I have usually followed the political views understood in my house, and it wasn't until coming to Columbia College that I began to question the foundations on which my beliefs were made. However, the questioning of my stance in the realm of politics has only recently become productive, and the trip to Washington only helped me to both solidify some of my opinions on political issues--such as education and marital rights as well as bipartisanship and the weight of the government--as well as learn how to be a more informed voter by understanding the truth behind the media's influence and campaign financing. 

While political rhetoric can often be overwhelming to the public, and I am no exception to this confusion, I do think that going to Washington and being in the presence of influential individuals in the media, politics, and political science has helped me to unravel the massive knot that is the American political system. Additionally, becoming a more informed citizen in the notion of politics has helped me to think beyond the immediately visible information I receive in other areas of my life as well. Speakers such as Clarence Page and Steve Bell, both journalists who covered extremely controversial subjects for major news outlets in print and television, demonstrated that the products of the media cannot be taken entirely at face value due to influences from bias, whether intentional or not. After my experience in Washington, I will face the world knowing that I have the chance to influence my government, but I cannot "go [ignorantly] into that good night."