Junior Leia Aldrich Chosen as Washington Semester Fellow
Student News
Leia Aldrich, a USCB junior majoring in Communications Studies, will spend four months
in Washington, D.C. as a Washington Semester Fellow. University of South Carolina Beaufort junior Leia Aldrich is going places: this fall, she’ll spend four months in the nation’s capital as a participant in South Carolina’s prestigious Washington Semester program.
Administered by the University of South Carolina, the Washington Semester gives selected students valuable work experience while they earn academic credit. In D.C., they get close to the political process and sharpen their analytical skills in preparation for a professional career in the field of their choice. Past Washington Semester Fellows have gone on to excel in government, law, medicine, business, journalism, the nonprofit sector and other fields.
Fellows attend important events such as White House arrival ceremonies for visiting heads of state, joint sessions of Congress, and arguments before the Supreme Court. They also attend leadership seminars led by national figures. Speakers at recent seminars have included White House personnel, the Deputy Attorney General, cabinet secretaries, senior TV network correspondents, lobbyists, embassy officials and other elected and appointed officials.
Aldrich, who is an honors student majoring in Communications Studies, hopes to do her Washington Semester internship at a national media outlet such as NBC4 Washington or CBS. Currently sending out resumes and contacting editors at these bureaus, she hopes to land an internship that will further skills she’s developing at USCB. Aldrich is a producer and host of the university’s “Crunch Time,” a production of USCB Sand Shark Studios at the Sand Shark Center for Innovative Media. The show is broadcast on TVs across campus.
“I want to get better at what I’m already doing,” Aldrich said. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”
She’s also looking forward to exploring D.C. Fellows live in group housing near the Capitol and have plenty of free time to get to know the city. Aldrich, who is from Moncks Corner, said she’s planning to visit the museums along the National Mall and dine in some of Washington’s many restaurants.
USCB has consistently placed students in the state’s Washington Semester Program, which is open to juniors and seniors majoring in any academic discipline at participating South Carolina colleges or universities. The deadline to apply is in February each year.