Belinda Nicholas, a rising junior at CU Boulder, interned with Senator John Hickenlooper in summer 2021 through the CU in D.C. program. Her internship was partially funded by the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization. Her favorite part of interning with Senator Hickenlooper was working on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, researching and summarizing methods to fund the package.
Although her internship was remote, Belinda visited the Capitol Building on various occasions to attend the annual speaker听series, featuring congressmen and senators. Sen. Bob Casey鈥檚 (D - PA) lecture was particularly memorable as she was able to听ask him a question for her research paper.
Belinda鈥檚 favorite way to wake up was a run to the monuments each morning, first passing the Lincoln Memorial, then the Washington Monument and eventually to the Capitol Building. She also ran to the White House several times. Belinda thought it fun to be in the midst of politics, listening to a podcast or reading the news, about something happening a couple of miles away.
Belinda enjoyed living in Washington, D.C. with her best friends, and met many other wonderful people with similar goals and interests. They enjoyed paddle boarding, visiting museums, and exploring the city. Belinda hiked in Shenandoah National Park and visited Chesapeake Bay. She loved sightseeing in Georgetown and enjoyed doing homework in Blue Bottle Cafe. Belinda made unforgettable memories. She says she will definitely be back.
The Benson Center promotes study of the intellectual, artistic and political traditions that characterize Western civilization.听The Center offers听a forum for free inquiry and supports academic freedom and intellectual diversity on campus in a time of increasing political polarization and homogeneity.听 For more information about Benson Center student resources visit听/center/benson/.