Federal Service from — and for — the Pacific Northwest
When growing up in Baker City and then while studying at Lewis & Clark, I knew that I wanted to serve my country. After all, my dad had spent his career with the National Park Service and Forest Service — of course I wanted something similar. But what? Diplomacy? Development? National security? Like many college students, I wanted the “try before you buy” experience of an internship before taking the plunge and applying for full-time employment.
However, as many college students do, I faced a challenge: Internships in the federal government are usually unpaid, and most require relocating to Washington, DC, where apartment prices put even the Pearl District to shame. Fortunately, thanks to Lewis & Clark’s financial aid, I secured an internship with the State Department at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria — still unpaid, but with free housing, plenty of free food via the diplomatic reception scene, and a great experience to put on my graduate school applications. During my time in Vienna, I had a frugal but fruitful summer, gaining skills and making connections that support my work even today.
According to the Partnership for Public Service, approximately one quarter of college students ranked government work (federal, state, or local) as one of their top three target industries. This is a promising sign that despite current politics, the next generation still feels motivated to help preserve our national parks, protect our infrastructure from cyber-attacks, and promote international cultural exchanges. But at what cost? The typical summer internship is two months long; factoring in a plane ticket from Portland to DC, rent in a shared apartment, public transportation, and food, each unpaid internship costs the student around $3,000. On the other hand, many private sector interns are paid — some quite handsomely. For many students (and their parents), it becomes a difficult decision: Is public service worth the price?
However, there is now a more flexible option for students nationwide to gain valuable federal work experience: the Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) Program. Through this program, undergraduate and graduate students — including those in community colleges or studying abroad — can work remotely for the federal government part-time during the school year. Students work up to ten hours per week from September through April, setting their own schedule to accommodate their classes, other jobs, family obligations, sports, and other commitments. While the program is still unpaid, students may receive course credit from their schools and letters of recommendation from their government sponsor.
Thanks to interning with the Department of State, I gained enough exposure to life as a civil servant to know that it is the right path for me, and I am now a manager at a different federal agency. For the past two years, my team has worked with VSFS students, and I have been able to see first-hand how useful this program can be for students, managers, and our country. Many of our students have come from the West Coast, and the diversity of their backgrounds and expertise is just astounding. While some students represented our typical profile of political science or international affairs majors, many came from backgrounds we usually struggle to attract, including a film student and a startup founder. Essentially, the virtual nature of this internship program reduces the risk on both sides: It’s relatively easy for the government to bring on a student if there are no salary or physical space requirements, and the student can complete an internship without relocating or making a financial commitment.
Having made the jump from Oregon to the “other” Washington, I know that our state’s students have a lot to offer our country’s capital. Luckily, there are now opportunities to match, ranging from combating foreign propaganda with the State Department, to creative writing at NASA, to helping the Department of Agriculture use chocolate farming to promote peace in Colombia.
Some of the projects — such as helping the Federal Geographic Data Committee use drones to optimize water management — are directly relevant to issues affecting Oregon today. Yet, time is of the essence: Applications for the 2018–2019 school year are due July 31.
Still need more convincing that federal government internships are useful? The woman now leading the Virtual Student Federal Service Program was an intern with me at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna.
Katherine S. Tobin (Lewis & Clark ’03) is a federal employee and Security Fellow with Truman National Security Project. Views expressed are her own.
