(Picture of Tiffany Davis at our 40th Reunion celebration, May 2004)
From: Tiffany Davis
Class of 1964 Intern
2004 Winter Final Report
I would like to first begin by thanking the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College for the opportunity to work as an intern at the Public Forum Institute in Washington, D.C. during the 2004 winter term. It was truly an amazing experience that introduced me to American politics, government, and public policy.
As I have previously stated, working at the Public Forum Institute was slightly different from what I expected. Before going to Washington, D.C., I was expecting a large public policy advocacy firm with at least 20 employees. From what I had read on the website, PFI was involved in many annual activities, as well as new activities with different members of Congress and the Senate. When I arrived at PFI, I was astonished to find only 5 full-time employees, including the president of the organization. I was immediately shown to what would serve as my office for the next 2 weeks, and left to my own devices for the day. I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, is this what the corporate world is like?"
Little by little, things picked up for me, as I went from what seemed like busy work to more detailed tasks. After two very long weeks of doing other people's tasks, I learned what team work in the corporate world really meant. Initially, I felt like the other employees were handing me jobs that they did not want to do. But, with time, I realized that I had a very low position on the corporate ladder as the intern. However, my work as an intern during that time helped the daily functions of PFI run smoother. "Routine support work", as I found out, means copying, organizing, filing, answering the phones, and doing small tasks.
For the winter season, PFI handled different events, including a luncheon on Capitol Hill entitled Minorities and Venture Capital and 3 events that addressed regional economic development in New Jersey, Alabama, and Georgia. Future events include the 2004 Rhode Island Homeland Security Business Conference and Expo, Toward Affordable Health Care: Prescriptions for Today, and 2004 National IT Workforce Convocation: The IT Workforce and the Global Economy, and my project, the 2004 African American Leadership Summit.
During the third week of my time as an intern at PFI, the ever-so elusive president came to my office with a proposal. I was very nervous, but he and the others expressed confidence in my ability to perform the major task of coordinating the organization of the 2004 African American Leadership Summit with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's office. The Summit, which will take place on April 27-28, 2004, will highlight economic growth, health care, and education. First, I had a de-briefing session with the president, who went over the politics of the event, what to do, what not to do, what to say, and what not to say, etc. Needless to say, after the de-briefing I was very nervous and worried about possible mistakes I could make.
I began my new project one morning, with minimal guidance. Even though I did not receive a lot of instructions in terms of the actual process, I appreciated the fact that they were confident in my abilities. For the next 6 weeks, I learned the process for registration and developed my own effective, organized, and efficient system that would make my departure easier. The key to my success with this project was organization, customer service skills, tact, and patience.
The most difficult aspect of this project was working with the senatorial staff. As a college student who had no political experience, I was not accustomed to the workings of a political office. Many details were confidential, and were not to be disclosed to callers for various different reasons. One of the main reasons was so that nothing reflected badly on Senator Hutchison herself. My actions and words had the potential to reflect either positively or negatively on her. On a few occasions, I did make some mistakes but what was important was not the fact that I made these mistakes, but what I did after these mistakes. At times, I found myself slightly frustrated with the demands placed upon me by her senatorial staff. However, I realize now that however difficult those demands seemed, they did help the process go smoother.
One of these demands included the VIP treatment for certain callers who were identified as important people in the Republican Party. Although I did not necessarily agree with the practice, I attempted to treat every caller and participant as a very important person. One experience in particular showed me that I was doing my job effectively and with a certain touch of class. One of the participants sent me a dozen long-stemmed roses, as a thank you for a job well done.
My experience as an intern at the Public Forum Institute has shown me several things. It has shown me how to prioritize individual and team goals, handle the demands of customers/clients, conduct non-academic research and most of all has shown me the politics of Washington, D.C. I know that these newly-developed skills will prove useful in my daily life as well as the immediate future. Although I am still very passionate about public policy, I want to use this experience as a stepping stone for my involvement in community development. I want to effectively plan meetings and seminars with members of government to discuss public policy issues, with an end-goal of fighting the emerging housing crisis in our major urban areas, especially New York City.
While in D.C., I solidified my thesis topic as studying gentrification in the Harlem section of New York City. Gentrification, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces earlier usually poorer residents. The local, state, and federal governments have played a role in this "renewal" process, and I want to facilitate discussion between concerned citizens and leaders, among other things. As an introduction to this field of community development/housing, I will use the preliminary research techniques that I learned while in D.C. to conduct research for my thesis under the supervision of a faculty member at Columbia University. I was recently selected as a participant in the 2004 Summer Research Program through the Leadership Alliance. While at Columbia, I will conduct academic research at the graduate level and further explore my interests and passions.
Once again, thank you for the opportunity, and feel free to contact me with any questions. Thanks!