In typical Cassidy fashion, my WIP blog is beginning with the end. (Please stick with me as more entries will be added very soon!)
Watching the sun rise over the city of Washington DC from the snow-white marble steps of the Lincoln memorial...this is traditionally how the Washington Ireland Program summer ends, it is how my summer ended this year and (for any potential future WIPpers reading this) it is how yours could conclude in the years to come.
Clouds, the colour of deep purple heather were interrupted by a dramatic sweep of pink sunlight as the dawn broke, framing the Washington Monument and casting a breathtaking mirror image into the Reflecting Pool. That incomparable vista of our final DC morning is the sight that now greets me every time I turn on my laptop. As I have returned to Dublin City University and the hard slog of final year as a Economics, Politics and Law (EPL) student, it is both refreshing and motivating to be reminded of my incredible summer each time I see that photograph as my desktop background.
My life post-DC has returned to something of normality; I am still a student, I am still a part-time waitress, I still eat like a horse and spend too much money on clothes...some things never change! However, my Facebook page now has updates from every corner of Ireland and Northern Ireland; I get news from South Africa and gossip from the US. I can say I have friends scattered all over the globe. I also believe I am more confident in networking situations (all those evenings spent eating cheese and crackers on rooftops has definitely paid off!) I now truly appreciate the American ‘culture’ of public service and I believe that volunteering will become a natural part of my life alongside work, education, home and social life. I have recently become involved with a new volunteer initiative through my university. I will be volunteering along with some EPL classmates at the Ballymun Community Law Centre (BCLC), where we will take part in an assistance scheme on a pilot basis. I will act as a study advisor to people taking law classes at the BCLC.
WIP is so much more than a summer, an internship or a chance to involve yourself in public service. By becoming a member of a WIP Class, you are entering a circle of like minded, passionate and incredibly gifted people. This is nothing to be intimidated by, trust me- you will be welcomed with open arms. This warm collegiality was so evident at the recent 2009 Graduation and 15th Anniversary celebrations at Dublin Castle. I felt such a sense of pride as our valedictorian; the inimitable Mark O’Regan addressed the Class. I felt honoured myself as I sat on the same stage as President Mary McAleese and addressed an audience filled with my friends and family at the Anniversary Reception. Afterwards, I was bowled over by the outpouring of sincerity and friendliness that greeted me. People I had never met before, people who were “friends of friends” or people I had only met briefly a few years ago, all came up and spoke to me like old friends. All this just because of a shared interest, all this because we all had three letters in common- W.I.P.
You genuinely never know where your next WIP link will appear. For example, in my first few weeks back in DCU I started a new law module with a lecturer I had never met before. As we filed out of the lecture room one afternoon, she stopped me and addressed me by name, recognising me as a member of the current WIP class. This completely confused me for a minute but it turns out that my lecturer, Brenda Daly, was a member of the Class of 1997! Such a small world!
I must admit it feels somewhat strange that the WIP website now has an application section, looking for the class of 2010. A jealous little part of me hopes we don’t find them! I want to hang on to my relevant place as a member of the current class and I will be so envious of the lucky fledgling WIPpers who have it all in front of them. However, this feeling will pass and I hope to see plenty of interest and foster lots of enthusiasm on my own DCU campus! I would encourage everyone reading this to apply for WIP. I can safely say, without exaggeration, it will change your life and you’ll love every minute of it!
Emma Cassidy Bio.
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