From a young age, sophomore Sarah Gregory said her parents encouraged political discussion at the dinner table and encouraged
her to explore her political opinions. While working at a small family restaurant in high school, the way her co-workers and boss handled the COVID-19 policies sparked her interest in the intersection between small businesses and politics.

On campus, Gregory participates in the Chi Omega sorority, Reading Buddies GOAL program, and the CCA student team.
After learning about the George Washington Fellowship from upperclassmen, Gregory decided to apply because of the opportunity to study on WHIP and research with faculty.

“It will give me the opportunity to see how economics and politics go together firsthand,” Gregory said. “I will also be able to see how different policies are made and directly affect their constituents.”

During WHIP, Gregory hopes to intern in the Senate for a Nebraskan senator or a budget committee.

 

Growing up in a military family, sophomore Vivian Turnbull lived all over the country but eventually settled in Los Angeles. She discovered her interest in politics during the 2016 presidential election.

Growing up, Turnbull thought she would go into medicine, but meeting two of the last surviving veterans from World War II
changed her life. One of the veterans told her about his experience on a battleship bombed by the Japanese.

“I think we lose that sense of appreciation a lot of times because everything feels so politicized,” Turnbull said. “The fact that
there are still people willing to die for this country while being so humble is something we all can learn from.”

Since then, Turnbull said she started researching veteran affairs policies. This past summer, Turnbull interned in Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu’s district office.

Turnbull is a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and the debate team.

Turnbull said she was excited to explore the program’s curriculum while learning and growing with the other fellows. While
studying on WHIP, she hopes to intern in the Senate.

 

During afternoons spent driving home from high school, sophomore Jacob Fox’s car speakers blared the fast-paced commentary

of Ben Shapiro. Fox said the Daily Wire pundit played an instrumental role in developing his political views.

“It’s a great introduction because of how simply Ben presents the news and how many different topics you start to learn more about,” Fox said. “In college, I realized I wanted to deepen my knowledge by reading books about certain subjects.”

Fox also sought outside work opportunities by applying for a summer internship in London working for a member of Parliament.
Fox said the scholarships offered by the program make opportunities to take an unpaid internship possible.

While reading “StrongTowns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity” by Charles Marohn Jr., Fox discovered
his love for economics and city planning.

“I ended up liking my econ classes a lot more thanI expected,” Fox said.

While on WHIP, Fox plans to intern at a public policy think tank specializing in mapping the economic health of cities.

 

The first election sophomore Micah Hart followed was the 2012 Presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

However, his political views consolidated in high school through his involvement with his school’s pro-life club and closely watching the 2016 election of Donald Trump.

Hart is an active member of the 1844 Society, circulation manager of The Collegian, and assistant news director for WRFH radio. Hart is also involved in several theater productions on campus.

Over the summer, Hart interned with Newsmax under the organization’s chief political correspondent John Gizzi. Hart said the experience was influential in cultivating his abilities as a writer and a communicator.

“My editor John Gizzi would give me ideas and say, ‘Go, work.’ So I would take what I knew and start researching and get people to talk to me,” Hart said.

Hart said he plans to explore American statesmanship through the program’s extensive curriculum while balancing it with practical experience. He hopes to intern with the Republican National Committee’s communications department.