BVU Senior Soaks Up Washington, D.C., Internship
A senior from Maryland, Emma Bloom, spends her fall semester closer to home at an internship in Washington, D.C., immersed in history.
Emma Bloom remembers visiting Buena Vista University and sitting in on a class taught by Dr. William Feis, Professor of History. His passion and energy for the subject convinced her BVU would be her college choice.
“I sent my SAT scores to BVU on a whim, really,” says Bloom, a senior from Middletown, Md. “I visited and sat in on the class with Dr. Feis, whose enthusiasm for history is infectious. I knew immediately I wasn’t going to get lost in the numbers of students. I said to my mom, ‘This is where I’m going to go.’”
Bloom, now a senior history major, spends the fall semester closer to home, studying and working in Washington, D.C., part of BVU’s longstanding partnership with The Washington Center for Internships & Academic Seminars. Bloom interns at DACOR Bacon House, one of Washington’s historic hosts for discussions on policy the government pursues to further democracy and equality.
“It was so easy to get to know all of my professors. They’re easy to talk to and connect with outside of class. And the class sizes have been perfect for me.”
Emma Bloom
Bloom researches the history of families of those who lived at the house, an historic residence-turned-museum whose 200th anniversary approaches. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, for example, lived there.
“I’ve visited Washington many times, but this is my first time living here,” says Bloom, an English minor. “It’s been great. I walk everywhere. I love the sights and sounds. I pass the U.S. Capitol on the way to the store.”
Bloom plans to return to campus next semester and will spend time researching national parks and indigenous land, such as the Alaskan Territories, Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, and the Black Hills, detailing their history and how they’re managed, eager to enjoy a final semester with friends and professors.
“It was so easy to get to know all of my professors,” she says. “They’re easy to talk to and connect with outside of class. And the class sizes have been perfect for me.”
Bloom will then investigate graduate school and job possibilities, ever-thankful for the choice she made in BVU and the internship in the nation’s capital that, she envisions, may one day serve as a foundation for her work at The Smithsonian Institute.
“That would be a dream job,” she says.