Green School semester in D.C.: Competitive internship combined with alumni-led classes

Green School senior Camila Marino didn’t just study public policy this semester, she lived it. With a front-row seat to the legislative process at the office of U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Marino found herself near the levers of federal power.

“Her office has shown me the dynamics of Congress, the law and the importance of representing her constituents at every step she takes, lessons I hope to transfer to my professional career as a lawyer,” the international relations major said.

Marino is participating in the inaugural Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs Academic Semester Program. It has her working as a congressional intern while taking for-credit, in-person courses taught at FIU’s center on Capitol Hill by alumni with government experience and covering policy and governmental communications.

The program is a collaboration between the Green School, the Gordon Institute for Public Policy and FIU in DC, an educational and advocacy hub with classroom space and meeting rooms in the heart of the action.

Six students have since January served as interns at such varied institutions as the Washington International Trade Association, the Cato Institute and the Center for European Policy Analysis and in the offices of Florida Congress members Wasserman Shultz and Carlos Giménez.

And while the internships give students an all-important front-row view into the workings of government and leading organizations, the high-level courses they take complement that experience and boost their skills.

“The courses have improved my writing, critical reading and research abilities while providing a deeper understanding of how federal agencies operate in the country and the detailed process of their resolution goals and planning,” Marino said.

FIU alumnus Tyrik McKeiver ’05 leads the course “Introduction to Public Policy and Service,” which provides students with a historical perspective on American public service. McKeiver is the former director of public affairs for the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. He requires students to attend congressional hearings, think tank briefings and national policy conferences in addition to seeking out volunteer and service-based opportunities to put into practice what they are learning.

FIU alumna Ana M. Gamonal de Navarro ’92 leads the course “Effective Governmental Communication,” which seeks to help students bridge their classroom experience and their professional experience. Gamonal de Navarro is a senior advisor and the director of public affairs at the National Nuclear Security Administration and DOE/NNSA Faculty Chair at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.

“Clear and concise communication is essential in all walks of life and fields but all the more so in the policy and national security work carried out in Washington,” Gamonal de Navarro explains to those in her class. “Combining academic coursework with practical internship experiences allows students to apply classroom learning directly to real-world governmental settings.

“For instance, interns may be required to conduct research, draft reports and prepare briefings for policymakers. The competencies developed in the class work to ensure students can effectively convey information and analyses, thereby contributing meaningfully to their internship roles.”

Navarro first arrived in Washington as a press secretary and legislative assistant for the late U.S. Congressmen Lincoln Díaz-Balart, an experience that she draws from in her course to inspire students to use their FIU network to the fullest advantage

Ambassador Steven J. Green himself, along with his wife Dorothea and daughter Kimberly Green, had a chance to meet with the inaugural cohort during a recent visit to Washington and introduce them to Singapore's ambassador to the U.S., Lui Tuck Yew.

“It was moving to see how our Green School students and alumni have created a supportive learning community which is helping our top talent tackle the world’s challenges at their worksites here in Washington,” said Kimberly Green.