I’m definitely starting to feel emotional about leaving D.C. I’ll miss coming into work each day and contributing to such interesting and meaningful projects. I’ll also miss living just a fifteen-minute walk from some of my closest friends. One especially lovely and unexpected part of this summer has been reconnecting with someone from my high school. Although we weren’t very close back then, we’ve become great friends here in D.C., and that friendship has been a true highlight of my time here.

As I approach my senior year, I’ve been thinking a lot about post-grad life, with a mix of excitement and nerves. This summer has given me reassurance about my ability to build community in a new place, even without the built-in social structure that college provides.

At work this week, I took on a side project that really interested me. While I’ve stayed focused on wrapping up my main surveillance timeline project, I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to try something new. My supervisor asked for someone to engage with the new Superman film, which has been gaining online attention as an immigrant and anti-war story. Given my strong interest in film, I volunteered to take it on. I watched the film twice, took detailed notes on themes relevant to our organization, and drafted a review and analysis. The next step will be turning key parts of that review into social media content. I really enjoyed this project because it allowed me to write in a different tone and format than I typically use.

In addition to that, I spent a significant part of my week researching the practical implications of California bill H.R. 771, which has become a focus for our policy team.

Overall, this week reminded me how dynamic and varied my work here can be. As I head into my final week, I’m feeling proud of what I’ve accomplished and grateful for the relationships and experiences that have shaped my summer.