Catching Up with NASFAA's Past DME Interns
The Dallas Martin Endowment for Public Policy and Student Aid (DME) summer internship was established to cultivate a new generation of young professionals who have a passion for learning about financial aid policy and advocacy. As a part of NASFAA’s ongoing commitment to advocating for public policies and programs that increase student access to and success in postsecondary education, one intern is selected each year and given the opportunity gain real-world policy and advocacy experience by attending hearings and events on Capitol Hill, participating in discussions regarding NASFAA’s policy and advocacy documents, attending NASFAA's annual national conference, and more. The internship also provides a pathway for the student to network and establish long-lasting relationships with other professionals in the financial aid and higher education community.
NASFAA recently checked in with the past interns of the DME to get the scoop on what they've been up to since their internships ended. Read on to see what they had to say and don't forget to cast your vote by 5:00 pm ET today to help us select a name for NASFAA's DME fundraising Ragnar Relay Race team. Stay tuned to Today's News in the coming weeks for more about our Ragnar team and fundraising efforts.
Margot O'Meara - Summer 2012 DME Intern
Where do you live now? - I live in Baltimore, MD, near the beautiful Inner Harbor!
What is your current position? - I am an admissions counselor for Johns Hopkins University. In my role, I recruit and evaluate applicants from various regions across the United States. I also serve as the liaison between the admissions and financial aid offices, and help manage the scholarship selection process. I am also in graduate school at Johns Hopkins, receiving a Master of Arts in Communication.
How does what you learned in your DME Internship impact/inform your current work? - The DME Internship greatly impacted/influenced my current position. Through my internship, I learned a great deal about the policy that guides various programs that are administered on college campuses. After completing my internship, I wanted more hands-on experience with the actual programs that policies impact, so I could bring a deeper understanding of the best practices back to the policymakers. I have loved working with higher education professionals and being a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). It’s great to see the work that an association performs from the opposite side of the desk.
Looking back, what was your favorite part of the internship? - I had a great time attending the NASFAA National Conference in Chicago, IL. I really enjoyed getting to see all of the association members come together, and hearing from them in the various sessions I attended. I also enjoyed attending meetings on the Hill and writing my “A Memo from Margot” blog.
Where do you see yourself in five years? - I would love to work for an association representing education professionals, either at the state or federal level. I think that the work associations do for their members and for education is critical and I would love to be a part of it again.
What is one interesting thing about you? - I studied abroad in Oxford, England for a semester!
When/how did your interest in financial aid/higher ed develop? - I started working for the financial aid office during the spring of my sophomore year in college. I learned a great deal about the financial aid programs and became passionate about the issue of access. During my junior year of college, I served as the intern between the admissions/financial aid offices and loved both aspects of the position. I was a first generation college student and remember being overwhelmed throughout the application and financial aid process, so I loved being able to help families navigate the experience.
How did you hear about the NASFAA DME internship? - My mentor, Caroline Bright, encouraged me to apply for the DME internship. She saw it in an issue of Today’s News and thought it would be a great fit for me, as I was an intern in the financial aid office, and was a public policy major. At the time Caroline was the director of financial aid at St. Mary’s College of MD, where I was a student.
Charlotte Etier - Summer 2013 DME Intern
Where do you live now? - I live in Washington, D.C.
What is your current position? I am a senior research analyst and grant manager for NASFAA.
How does what you learned during your DME Internship impact/inform your current work? - The DME internship was the biggest professional opportunity I had received at that point in my life, and now it is only second to working in the NASFAA office. It impacted my current work in several different ways. It really helped me gain a broader understanding of policymaking at the federal level. It also helped me understand how advocacy in a membership association should take place and how to take the views of a large membership base and bring them all together to make policy recommendations that represent all the various groups within.
Looking back, what was your favorite part of the internship? - My favorite part of the internship was attending the conference and getting to meet all of the members. Getting to see people who are so passionate about students, who are really on the ground level working to make a difference, and getting to meet the people who make this internship possible by donating to the Dallas Martin Endowment and say thank you were all amazing. I also liked getting to participate in different collaborative efforts with other associations. I think this really helped me see how other parts of higher education interact with financial aid.
Where do you see yourself in five years? - Hopefully still at NASFAA. In five years I hope to continue managing what we do with financial aid and postsecondary research and further grow NASFAA’s original internal research.
What is one interesting thing about you? - One interesting thing members may not know about me is my love for organizing group activities and logistics. My friends often call me their own personal concierge when they come to visit as I typically put together an itinerary of pertinent places we must visit, along with hours, tour times, and addresses. This may come as no surprise to the members who read my blog and watched me visit almost 99 free tourist attractions in Washington, D.C. in just 8 weeks.
When/how did your interest in financial aid/higher ed develop? - When I went back to school to get my Master’s, we were all required to have an experience working on campus in the area we wished to work within after graduation. So I thought about my undergraduate career and considered residence life, because I had lived on campus, greek life, since I was in a sorority, or possibly academic advising, as I struggled academically during my first-year. I also had been out of college for six years, so I started to think about area still felt like was the most impactful in my everyday life, and I realized that every single month the one thing that still impacts me in a big way are my student loans. As a first generation college student, I wish I had taken advantage of the help my Office of Financial Aid offered to better understand the financial aid I was taking out and what I was doing. So, on the first day of my Master’s program I indicated I want to work in financial aid, I want to help students understand the decisions that they’re making and how it’s going to impact the rest of their lives.
How did you hear about the NASFAA DME internship? - I had worked in financial aid at a campus, participated in policy-making at a state level, and I wanted to experience policy-making at the federal level. I did some searching online and I saw that NASFAA offered a summer policy internship. I saw Margot’s blog detailing her experiences and I thought this was a perfect way to marry all of my interested together.
Blondeen Philemond - Summer 2014 DME Intern
Where do you live now? - I currently reside in Washington, D.C.
What is your current position? - I am a junior research associate with Synergy Enterprises, Inc., which is located in Silver Spring, Maryland. Currently I work on an ED contract which focuses on promoting safety in schools and institutions of higher education. My main responsibilities require that I provide research assistance, marketing support, quality assurance review support, and technical assistance to the field via email and phone.
How does what you learned during your DME Internship impact/inform your current work? - Since my area of focus is now a bit different, the impact of my experiences at NASFAA are more specific to learning how to work in a fast-paced office environment. With multiple deliverables and demands and co-workers requiring assistance in different ways, it was important that I learned how best to optimize my productivity in order to thrive in my current position.
Looking back, what was your favorite part of the internship? -
I thoroughly enjoyed working on the Journal of Student Financial Aid and revising the PowerPoint presentation for the National Profile policy briefing; watching everyone’s hard work come to full fruition was very rewarding. There were definitely some aspects of the financial aid process that I had not considered prior to working on this project, so I feel like a learned a great deal and also strengthened my knowledge of the many different contributors, processes, and policies that come into play.
Where do you see yourself in five years? - In five years I definitely see myself still within the education field and remaining on the research track. As a naturally inquisitive person, I thoroughly enjoy getting down to the nitty-gritty of any topic that I enjoy, and as I become more practiced in one topic/field, I think that would translate nicely into holding a research analyst position.
What is one interesting thing about you? - I guess one unique thing about myself that people wouldn’t think about me is that I’m really into technology. I’m a bit of a tech-geek, and a lot of people wouldn’t assume that upon meeting me or just talking to me.
When/how did your interest in financial aid/higher ed develop? - My interest definitely developed prior to me even attending college. I understood that I would not be able to attend college without a good understanding of the financial aid process. From then on, I was always searching for answers to the many questions that I had about loans, debt, and affording a college education. Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to conduct in-depth research on several of my concerns during my undergraduate career, and that’s where my true passion for financial aid policy truly flourished.
How did you hear about the NASFAA DME internship? - During my graduate program, my internship supervisor told me about an internship that NASFAA was offering and suggested that I apply. I honestly didn’t think I would even be considered for the position, but one day, I received an email from Megan, asking to set up a phone interview. I was so excited, yet nervous about speaking with the Policy Team. To my delight, I was offered the internship and I guess you can say that the rest is history!
Angel Flores - Summer 2015 DME Intern
Where do you live now? - I live in Arizona.
What is your current position? - I am currently in my last year of my undergraduate career as a business management major at the University of Arizona.
How do you think what you learned during your DME Internship will impact/help in the future? - The DME internship has really had a significant impact on shaping what I want to pursue upon graduating from college. My passion for financial aid and higher education only grew during my time with NASFAA, and as a result, I have developed a clear path that I know I need to take in order to reach my career goals.
Looking back, what was your favorite part of the internship? - My absolute favorite experience was attending the national conference. I was able to make connections, further expand my knowledge base, and most importantly, make friendships and interact with the NASFAA members. NASFAA members are a wonderful group of individuals who all share a common passion and I am incredibly blessed that I got to be a part of that.
Where do you see yourself in five years? - I have no clue. I know that I want to continue in financial aid, but I’m not sure in what capacity. While I love working on the frontlines of financial aid, I have really taken a liking to the policy and advocacy side of it as well. This upcoming year, I as I continue to navigate through the complex world of financial aid/higher education, hopefully I’ll be able to pinpoint what exactly it is that I want to do.
What is one interesting thing about you? - One thing that is interesting about me is that I love to take road trips. Whether it’s to California, Nevada, northern Arizona or even just across town, I will never pass up an opportunity to hit the road.
When/how did your interest in financial aid/higher ed develop? - My interest in financial aid developed during my freshman year as a Federal Work-Study student in the financial aid office. I was incredibly fascinated with everything about financial aid. Having a legal background, I took an interest in the compliance side of financial aid and would read all of the resources available in the office to keep myself current on the rules and regulations. Supplementing the experience I gained on the job, with my own research I would do outside of the aid office, I had developed an ongoing commitment to learning as much as I could about federal student aid.
How did you hear about the NASFAA DME internship? - I had heard about the internship from a co-worker at a past aid office that I worked in. She was insistent that I apply because she could see the passion that I had for the profession. Not really paying too much attention to her advice, it slipped to the back of my mind for well over a year. Then, during a boring class my junior year, I was going through my phone on twitter and happened to see the posting that NASFAA released on the DME internship. I immediately recalled being told about this internship by my co-worker several times and it prompted me to actually pursue the position this time.
Publication Date: 8/20/2015
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