{"id":30008,"date":"2013-07-29T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2013-07-29T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=30008"},"modified":"2014-09-23T08:28:09","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T13:28:09","slug":"u-s-capital-experience-excites-um-senior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/u-s-capital-experience-excites-um-senior\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Capitol Experience Excites UM Senior"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

University of Mississippi senior Adam Blackwell of Natchez demonstrates with friends and co-workers on the steps of the United States Supreme Court Building after the Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8.<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 When Adam Blackwell of Natchez enrolled at the University of Mississippi three years ago, like many new college students, he was indecisive about his future.<\/p>\n

But he relied on one consistent piece of advice from family and friends: Don\u2019t be afraid to try new and different things. He found special support for his mantra as a member of UM\u2019s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Honors College stresses the importance of expanding your worldview, taking risks and experiencing the world with a citizen-scholar perspective,\u201d Blackwell said.<\/p>\n

A huge step in that direction came this summer when Blackwell was awarded an honors college fellowship to help support his participation in the university\u2019s Washington Internship Experience program. He served his three-month internship in the Finance Department of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough my summer internship, I gained an immense amount of work experience and knowledge in the political field,\u201d said Blackwell, who is a member of UM\u2019s Lott Leadership Institute. He is slated to complete his degree in May, with a major in public policy leadership and minors in religious studies and political science.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile In D.C., I also had the chance to meet people from many different places and to interact and learn. Overall, my summer experiences have greatly expanded my worldview and knowledge. I’ve been able to find an area that I would certainly be happy working in, and I met some really great current leaders, as well as future leaders. I’ve also made some great contacts that will be imperative when it’s time for me to enter the job market.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he witnessed history in the making.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to stand on the steps of the Supreme Court Building as they announced their decision on DOMA and Proposition 8 was certainly one of the highlights of the summer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

There was also the unexpected.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest surprises is how easily I adapted to and fell in love with living in D.C.,\u201d he said. \u201cI’m from a small town; Oxford is a small town, and, until this summer, I had never stayed out of Mississippi for more than two weeks. It’s been very surprising how easy the transition was for me and how much I truly loved living there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother surprise would definitely be the number of friends I made. The summer goes by so quickly, and it’s often hard to make friends in a large city, but I didn\u2019t have any problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Summing up his internship experience, Blackwell said that while he is unsure of his long-term career goals, he knows he wants to be in a career of service to others and he wants to live in D.C., at least for a while.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to work to create positive change, whether that means I work for a nonprofit, in higher education or work to elect officials,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter moving away for a while, I would love to move back to Mississippi one day and work to bring about effective change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Washington Internship Experience and the New York Internship Experience are coordinated through UM\u2019s Division of Outreach and Continuing Education. Program Director Laura Antonow highly recommends them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Washington Internship Experience and the New York Internship Experience provide a structured educational program with an extensive orientation, great housing and a cohort environment in which students really seem to thrive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A graduate of Cathedral High School in Natchez, Blackwell said he decided the university was his college choice after attending UM\u2019s Summer College for High School Students.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that summer, I felt like a part of the Ole Miss family. The Trent Lott Leadership Institute, the honors college and the welcoming atmosphere were all drawing factors. I wouldn\u2019t trade my time here for anything. I\u2019ve made lifelong best friends, and I\u2019ve had the opportunity to help create lasting, effective change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blackwell\u2019s honors include listing on the Chancellor\u2019s Honor Roll and earning membership in Phi Kappa Phi, the university\u2019s highest academic honor across all disciplines. Last year Blackwell was a finalist for the prestigious national Truman Scholarship.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a Truman Scholar finalist would not have been possible without the amazing support of the honors college and the university as a whole,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For more information on the WIE and NYIE programs, visit http:\/\/www.outreach.olemiss.edu\/<\/a>. To learn more about the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Lott Leadership Institute, visit http:\/\/www.honors.olemiss.edu\/<\/a> and http:\/\/www.lottinst.olemiss.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 When Adam Blackwell of Natchez enrolled at the University of Mississippi three years ago, like many new college students, he was indecisive about his future. But he relied on one consistent piece of advice from family and friends: Don\u2019t be afraid to try new and different things. He found special support forRead the story …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,340],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nU.S. Capitol Experience Excites UM Senior - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/u-s-capital-experience-excites-um-senior\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"U.S. Capitol Experience Excites UM Senior - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 When Adam Blackwell of Natchez enrolled at the University of Mississippi three years ago, like many new college students, he was indecisive about his future. But he relied on one consistent piece of advice from family and friends: Don\u2019t be afraid to try new and different things. 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