Ashley Horne at the White House

UNC Asheville senior Ashley Horne intended to take a year off after graduation and was planning on applying to law school. But her future plans began to really take shape the moment she arrived in Washington, D.C. for her semester-long internship this spring.

Horne is one of five UNC Asheville students currently participating in the UNC in Washington program, which brings outstanding juniors and seniors from across the North Carolina system together for high-powered internships in the nation's capital each semester.

Students' time is divided between class and the office. Each participant is enrolled in a seminar course taught by a UNC faculty member. Students meet for class once per week. In addition, they spend 32 hours per week in internships, matched with supervisors who integrate them into the daily operation of the organization. Students produce research, briefings, policy analyses and working papers during their internships.

Horne is working at Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), a 40-year old non-profit organization focused on building economic independence for low-income American women and families. She works closely with WOW's federal policy director on the family economic self-sufficiency project. Horne, a mass communication major, puts the skills she's learned in the classroom to use. She writes weekly updates for the organization's partners across 36 states and also produces summaries of meetings and hearings.

"This internship has completely changed me. It has opened so many doors of opportunity," Horne said. "I'm ready to work for a women's non-profit as soon as I graduate. In fact, I am moving to D.C. in August, and I'm using the contacts I've made through the internship to find a job. I still want to go to law school but I'm excited about working right now."

Horne has found it exhilarating to live, work and study in a big city. She's enjoyed navigating the Metro system, trying new foods and visiting museums.

UNC Asheville senior political science major Ryan Arant echoes Horne's sentiments on how much he's gained from the program.

Arant has spent his semester interning at the Hudson Institute, an international relations think-tank. He's worked on analyzing material on chemical and biological weapons, the space arms race, and national security reform.

But unlike Horne, Arant has learned that he doesn't want to pursue a traditional office job.

"Despite how much I've loved working at the Hudson Institute, I now know that I don't want to sit at a desk all day. This summer I'm hoping to study Arabic in Syria. And after graduation, I plan to join the Peace Corps for an assignment in an Arab nation," he said.

Bonnie Parker, UNC Asheville's Study Abroad/Study Away Interim Director, notes such changes in life plans are a natural outcome of intensive learning experiences like UNC in Washington.

"This type of direct, hands-on program launches many students into self-examination and self-reflection. It also gives them a step up in having career experiences earlier, which may cause the student to reevaluate their goals," she said. "But that's why I love experiential education. Students are able to apply these lessons learned outside the traditional learning environment directly and immediately to their lives. It opens up exciting possibilities."

Other UNC Asheville students participating in the program this spring are Regan McBride, Benjamin Radford and Marian Sandler.