TNJN Spotlight: UT junior heads to Washington
Amanda Dean, a junior at UT, is headed to Washington D.C. for a summer internship.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Dean
As everyone packs up and heads home for their summer vacations, Amanda Dean is headed to the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C. for a full-time public policy internship at the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.
Dean is a junior at UT and has lived in Tennessee all her life. She has always had a love for Washington and dreamed of attending American University.
“I am in love with Washington, D.C. and I see myself working there once I leave the Volunteer State,” Dean said.
Majoring in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication with a concentration in Communication, Dean hopes to build a career in legislative policy writing within the field of agriculture.
The internship will open the door for many opportunities for Dean and will provide her with many valuable skills to further her career after graduation.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Dean.
“My established duties will be primarily to assist the association’s intergovernmental affairs activities, including and especially that of drafting agricultural and environmental legislative materials,” she said. “I will be working mainly in the Office of Communications and as a representative for the Council. I will also attend Congressional hearings, coalition strategy meetings and Capitol Hill briefings.”
Along with countless hours of studying and working on projects within her major, Dean is also very involved on campus. She is a member of Alpha Phi Omega; a national co-ed service fraternity, Gamma Beta Phi; a national honor society, College Democrats and The Tennessee Collegiate Horseman’s Association.
Through her involvement with various clubs and organizations, Dean has been able to travel to places such as Chicago and Nashville for various events.
She manages her time carefully, making sure to pay attention to everything she has going on.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Dean
“I am currently and simultaneously riding an 18-credit course load, an important independent study involving undergraduate research, part-time work weeks, active membership in various student organizations and with my family in the area, I find myself picking up responsibilities there as well,” Dean said. “All the while attempting to prepare myself for a D.C. internship that is looming in the not-so-distant future.”
Although always busy, Dean loves what she does and encourages other students to do what they love.
“Be immersed in your campus and in your community,” Dean said. “You or your parents more likely, pay an obscene amount of money for you to be here, but those funds are not necessarily exclusive to your field of study. Getting involved is so simple a process- find what interests you and then find the people around you who agree.”
Edited by Jessica Carr
