A Conversation with Racquel Williams

Racquel Williams is a Speech Communication major with a dual minor in Political Science and Journalism. She is currently spending the semester interning in Washington D.C. in Senator Richard Durbin's office. Speech Communication professor Mary Anne Trasciatti caught up with Racquel by email.

• Why did you apply for the SUNY Brockport Washington Program?

• My friend told me about the SUNY Brockport Washington Program last year, my sophomore year, but I was intimidated. Then, a student who participated in the program before came into my Public Policy class and told us about it. She told us her experience and that the application was due in a couple of days. I thought about it and applied. I wanted to experience something new and exciting. I didn’t know where I would intern but the program sounded amazing and I wanted to be a part of it.

• What do you hope to learn from your semester in the nation's capital?

• I hope to learn how Washington works. I hope to gain as much as experience as possible. I hope to network with others as well. I learned that is not only what you know it’s also WHO you know.

• How might your education and interest in communication help you?

• My education and interest in communications has helped me a lot. My major is Speech Communication concentrating in Public Advocacy and Citizenship. My class in Public Policy has prepared me a lot because what I’ve learned in class are issues that are being discussed on the Hill. I actually know a lot about Social Security, Medicare, and Health Care reform plans and I’m using my knowledge to my advantage. Additionally, my speech classes encouraged me to speak up and not be intimidated in my environments.

• Is there one thing you are especially excited about learning or doing -- or one person you'd especially like to meet -- while you are in Washington? Why?

• One thing that I am especially excited about doing is attending committee hearings, briefings, and seminars. I've been to three so far and I've been learning a lot from them. These hearings, briefings, and seminars encourage lawmakers to look into a topic more, get support for their ideas and hopefully pass bills. This exposure is definitely an eye opening experience. I've met with Senator Durbin and he's an amazing person. I like what he is doing for the people and love that he is for the people. I enjoy working for a such a strong advocate in Congress. Additionally, while walking around in the Senate Building and Capitol I met Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and our New York Senator Charles Schumer. Overall, this experience has been great and I'm expecting more to come. I hope to learn a few pointers from Senator Durbin's speech writer. I'm particularly interested in speech writing since I took a seminar class at Hofstra University with former White House speech writer, Terry Edmonds