Each semester, a small group of Hillsdale students makes a new home in Washington, D.C. This year marks 50 years of the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program, a semester-long opportunity for Hillsdale undergraduates to live and work in the nation’s capital.
During their time on WHIP, students work full-time while taking part-time classes in the evening. The program started in 1972 with only a few participants. Since then, hundreds of students have gone on WHIP and used their experience to further their careers.
On Sunday, Nov. 13, the Kirby Center, Hillsdale’s Washington, D.C., campus, held a commemorative ceremony where alumni, faculty, staff, and students gathered to reflect on WHIP’s history.
“When I looked about from my podium, everybody had a smile on their face and they were just enjoying each others company,” Undergraduate Program Coordinator Mary Greco ’22 said.
The Kirby Center opened in 2010. Before its creation, there was no Hillsdale campus in Washington, D.C. Instead, it looked more like a study abroad program.
“When the first WHIP class came, the Kirby center did not exist, so they took classes at Georgetown and then they had their internships,” Greco explained.
The Kirby Center now provides students and professors with a formal space in Washington, D.C. It houses classrooms, offices, and gathering spaces for networking sessions with alumni, mentors, and faculty in the area.
“Undergraduates are a joy to teach,” said Matthew Mehan, director of academic programs for Hillsdale in D.C., and assistant professor of government. “There is something invigorating, for both the students and the professor, when we are all ‘in it together’ in this delightful challenge and time of growth for our students here on the D.C. campus.”
WHIP alumnus and current senior Joseph Coleman said WHIP was transformational for applying what he learned at Hillsdale in everyday working life.
“I’m thankful for how WHIP showed me to take the values I learned at Hillsdale out into the working world,” Coleman said.
Tucker Watkins ’73 joined the first-ever WHIP class back in 1972. He went on to become a businessman and now describes on WHIP as a formative experience. During an anniversary celebration, he reflected on his time with the program.
“No matter what career path you choose to follow, the experience of the WHIP program will stay with you forever as it has for me, and it will be truly beneficial,” Watkins said.
Domine Clemons ’20 spent her WHIP internship in the U.S. Department of Education under former education secretary Betsy Devos. Since then, she has become the Manager of Strategic Partnerships at OptimaEd, a classical education services provider.
“The Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program was a game-changer for me, and ultimately made me feel so much more prepared for graduation and to move forward in my career,” Clemons said.
WHIP alumna and senior Julianna Rylko expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with a variety of people.
“Being surrounded by peers with different educational backgrounds made me realize that good workers are hard to come by,” Rylko said. “I learned how to handle difficult situations with patience and logic.”
Jennifer Lessnau ’20, WHIP alumna and former undergraduate program coordinator, is now a graduate student at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. She reflected on how the program affected her studies.
“It’s really important as an undergrad to take what your professors have been teaching you on Hillsdale’s main campus and throw yourself into a different environment,” said Lessnau.
Mehan noted how “WHIPsters” learn to blend their active and contemplative lives, contributing to developing practical wisdom.
“WHIP students make special demands on themselves to balance a serious professional internship with a serious course of study in the evenings,” Mehan said. “That means saying no to certain creature comforts in a strenuous semester. But as they will tell you themselves, the sacrifice is worth it.”