In June 2023, fifty Schaeffer Fellows gathered in Washington, D.C. for the annual Schaeffer Fellows Summit. The theme, “A Day in the Life of a Government Intern,” was selected to provide dedicated time for each Fellow to share about their day-to-day internship responsibilities and explore areas of potential growth for the summer. During the Summit, Schaeffer Fellows met with their peers and guest speakers to discuss achievements, challenges, and short- and long-term goals related to their government internship and engaged citizenship. Pictured: River Reynolds (Princeton) & Nivea Krishnan (USC) speak about post-graduate plans at the Summit.

Leonard Schaeffer shared his personal experience as an undergraduate congressional intern who “saved American democracy” with his knowledge of the legislative process and helped to prevent a misleading bill from becoming law. He expressed to the group how important it is to have good people in government who can do good work for their fellow citizens. He also addressed topics such as pursuing career ambitions and balancing personal and professional goals. Pictured: Leonard Schaeffer responding to questions from Fellows.

Schaeffer Fellows engaged in individual and group reflection about identifying personal core values and how those values might inform their professional interests and motivations. Fellows also shared their goals for the internship summer. Presenters offered Fellows advice for expanding their professional network and posed important questions to aid Fellows in learning more about government service and their prospective career path. Fellows received personal business cards and practiced direct networking with peers and public service professionals during the event. Pictured: Vincent Cisneros (USC) and Chloe Park (Berkeley) discuss their shared interests.