Many Americans will never see the inside of the White House in Washington D.C.
But one Florida A&M student is about to complete a semester-long internship working with some of America’s most powerful people.
Nancy Metayer, a recent Florida A&M graduate, is spending the remainder of this semester working in Washington as a White House intern.
The White House Internship: A Public Service Leadership Program is designed to give future leaders valuable experience and help build leadership skills. Metayer said the experience is “great.”
“I am meeting new people, enjoying the city and learning great management and leadership skills,” she said.
Metayer, who is from Coral Springs, Fla., graduated in the spring 2011 with a degree in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Policy and Regulation.
As a scholar in the university’s honors program and as a member of organizations such as TRIO, Student Support Services, Environmental Sciences Student Organization and the Honors Program. Interns will complete the semester-long internship on Dec. 16. Metayer said she will return to FAMU to support a close friend at the commencement ceremony this spring.
More than 100 students were chosen for the program. Metayer was one of two individuals selected from Florida.
Other interns came from Howard, Harvard, Stanford, Texas A&M and other universities around the country.
Once selected as an intern, individuals are placed in different offices and branches of the White House. There are 10 offices, including the Office of the First Lady, Office of the Vice President, Office of Cabinet affairs and many others.
Metayer works in the Office of Presidential Personnel, which recruits qualified candidates to serve in federal departments and agencies, Metayer said.
She assists in day-to-day operations of the office and attends meetings as just a few of her roles as a White House intern.
Other interns have come from Florida A&M as well.
Andrea Turk, a Gainesville native, also served as a White House intern in the summer of 2009. This spring, Quintin Haynes, another Florida A&M graduate was chosen to intern among others, making him one of four students chosen from the state of Florida.