Fall2024 | Illinois in Washington

Where Power and Purpose Meet: My Semester with International Justice Mission

Guang Tseng interned at the International Justice Mission (IJM) in Washington D.C., and served as the Public Engagement Intern. He supported IJM’s public-facing work by helping vet speaker requests and evaluating their strategic value to the organization.

Fall in D.C. has come and gone, and so has the 2024 election, my internship at International Justice Mission, and my senior year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Time moves on, but the friends I made and the lessons I unearthed along the way have been deeply rooted against the aging of the hour.

Born in Taiwan and growing up moving around from Belgium to South Korea to the U.S. for college, I have witnessed many marvelous cities and met my fair share of interesting people. Washington, D.C., however, manages to trump them all. Here is a jewel of a city between the Anacostia and Potomac rivers where history is decided, where people from all walks of life gather to make an impact on humanity, and where the prosperity and suffering of America converge violently to be examined in the limelight.

As an international student, I applied for Illinois in Washington (IIW) with uncertain expectations. I was unsure if I could find meaningful employment as a non-U.S. citizen in D.C. and whether it was wise to move to a new city for the last semester of my senior year. Although I faced many setbacks along the way, I can look back now and say with certainty that I made a good decision to apply for and come to D.C. as part of IIW. It was a program that allowed me to pursue an internship of interest to me within the politically active hub of D.C. while being supported by a strong community of fellow peers from Illinois going through the same struggles and delights as I was. Our cohort formed a special bond, as I’m sure cohorts before us have done, and I am so very thankful that I was able to meet this diverse group of passionate individuals who are all determined to make an impact in the world.

I came to this city with a singular hope of reflecting on the abundant experiences of my past to discover my unique path forward, hoping that this central axis of global agenda-setting would enlighten me and put my calling into sharper focus. I ultimately chose to be the Public Engagement Intern at International Justice Mission (IJM) because I wanted to explore the realm of non-profits while I still had the space to do so as an undergraduate student. IJM is an NGO with a mission to protect people in poverty from violence, specifically in forms such as human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and bonded labor. We have offices in every region of the world, working with local governments and law enforcement partners to deliver justice to those who are often forgotten by society or unprotected by dysfunctional and corrupt justice systems.

As the Public Engagement Intern, I had a front-row seat to all the public-facing engagements that we as an organization were having. My day-to-day tasks included helping my manager vet speaker requests and evaluating them on the strategic value they brought to the organization. Although I did not work directly with the policy-facing side of the organization, I was able to learn from many who did through coffee chats and lunch discussions. I found my experience at IJM to be one of considerable professional and personal growth.

As I start transitioning to post-graduation life, I still do not have a definitive answer to the path I will pursue, but this Washington, D.C. experience has refined the parameters of my search and equipped me with lifelong skills in networking, cross-cultural communication, and problem-solving. I grew in my ability to communicate effectively with colleagues through corporate tools like email and video calls. I learned how to healthily separate work from life and make solid friendships while keeping professional boundaries at work. Most importantly of all, I learned the value of talking to people who have gone before me and experienced life ahead of me. I have never done so many coffee chats in my life, but I am so thankful that I got out of my comfort zone to learn from so many people’s fascinating stories.

This program has been an extension of the gradual shift in my own interests from a STEM background to a more policy-focused outlook. In Washington, D.C., I was able to witness firsthand the process of making public policy, the intricate network of conflicting forces all vying for control of the national and international agenda, and the passion with which individuals stood for and advocated their causes. Being in D.C. made me realize the illusion and futility of power, while at the same time coming to a newfound appreciation of the very real consequences that power can bring. Going forward, I wish to take all that I have learned and realized in D.C. and integrate it into my future work—whatever it may be.

Connecting on the Hill: How I Learned the Power of Professional Outreach

Benny O’Connor interned at the office of Congressman Eric Sorensen. He gained firsthand knowledge of the legislative process and developed essential communication and writing skills. He learned the importance of balancing professionalism with personal connection, which helped him build confidence and improve his outreach abilities. By overcoming his fear of reaching out and engaging in networking, he made valuable connections and grew both personally and professionally.

During my internship in D.C. with a congressional office, I was able to not only learn about the legislative process and how certain aspects of the federal government work, but I also built skills fundamental to future jobs. Mainly, I developed communication skills by working in a busy environment with many different kinds of people, and I improved my ability to set goals.

Referring to more technical skills, I learned to write in different styles; for example, letter writing is very different from memo writing, and I had to do both. As I’ve already said, I learned a great deal about the role of the legislature in American politics through this internship. However, my greatest gain was understanding what it means to be a professional and the importance of outreach.

Professionalism refers to my expected behavior, how it impacts the way the office is perceived, and the importance of balancing the rigid idea of professionalism with the personal aspects of my character. Someone who cannot include these personal touches may sometimes be viewed less favorably, even if they meet the expected standards of their office. To maximize your professional image and best reflect your office, you must maintain a delicate balance between these two things. This balance makes you more effective in outreach and, by extension, better at networking. Being both professional and personable can lead others to see you as a valuable part of a broader network.

Regarding outreach specifically, it was a skill I had to improve as the internship progressed. Not being afraid to ask for things or approach someone with questions—while still being respectful of what they’re doing and their time—is an incredibly important skill to build. I used platforms like LinkedIn or reached out to my existing connections to find people to talk to about specific topics, which helped me engage more effectively in outreach.

Overall, about half the time things would fall through, or I wouldn’t get a response to my request or question. But when it worked, the payoff was great. Many of the conversations I had this semester were with people I cold-contacted—meaning we had no prior connection—and I was able to learn a lot from them about the work they do.

This growth was thanks in part to learning to overcome my fear of reaching out, which was encouraged by the Illinois in Washington Program and its required biweekly coffee chats, but also by the work itself. Much of what I did during my internship was basic—like callbacks, scheduling tours, or setting up inauguration ticket requests—which required reaching out to constituents on behalf of my office. Building those outreach skills was similar, but instead of reaching out for Congressman Sorensen, I was reaching out for myself.

Overall, it was a great experience, and I see many of the skills I built here helping me in the professional world when I graduate next semester.