Semester in D.C.

Hi Stonehill!

My name is Jennifer Juliano, I am a junior and an Economics and Elementary Education double major. I am participating in the American University Washington Semester Program, specifically the Economic Policy Seminar Program, and I am interning at the Center for Education Reform.

I decided to "study-abroad" in D.C. instead of going to another country for two reasons. The first being I lived overseas for 12 years before coming to Stonehill and I felt that I already had the international experience and wanted to explore the U.S. and what it had to offer for me. The second reason I chose to spend my semester in D.C. was that I felt it would point me in the right direction for what I wanted to do after graduation. Since I am not interested in becoming a school teacher, but am interested in the policy making of education and its reform, D.C. has been the perfect place for me to explore this interest. Up until this point I haven't been able to combine my two majors and Washington has allowed me to examine both subjects together and see the relationship between education and economics.

I am in the Economic Policy Seminar and like Therese said, there are a lot of international students studying here with us. This has made for a very rich learning environment and has allowed me to get the different economic perspective of students from Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Korea and Japan. There is also an American student who is a strong follower and believer of Ron Paul which has resulted in some very interesting debates. My professor starts off each week with an interactive lecture about the topic of the week. So far we have covered the current state of the U.S. economy, monetary policy, fiscal policy, U.S. housing policy, health care and next week is energy policy. With each new topic we visit at least two speakers and go to a hearing on Capitol Hill. Last week at the Hearing of the House Committee on Financial Services Timothy Geithner was testifying on financial regulation. Some of our field trips include Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the Newseum. We have also had speakers come talk to us from the Federal Reserve, the Congressional Budget Office, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Council of Economic Advisors, the FDIC and other various agencies and think-tanks.

My Internship at the Center for Education Reform has also been a great learning experience. So far I have been doing a great deal of work with charter schools which has been fascinating since charter schools are not taught in the Education classes at Stonehill.

D.C. definitely has a lot going on and a great deal to offer! It is a great fast-paced young city that I'm sure you will enjoy just as much as I have!

I hope our posts have given you a good idea on what the semester in Washington is all about! I'll post more later!