Ed. Note: The deadline to submit Spring 2012 White House Internship Program applications is September 11, 2011. Learn more and apply today.
In my White House Internship application, I wrote about my vision of a federal government committed to reaching out to communities that may have never felt their voices mattered. Yet even as I wrote it, I wondered whether this was the type of government I would find if selected to work at the White House.
Towards the end of my internship, I had an experience beyond my wildest imagination and that confirmed the Administration’s commitment to service and outreach. On that day, the East Room in the White House was lined on every side by more than 100 young African men and women. U.S. Ambassadors across Africa had nominated them because of their exceptional achievements in fields ranging from business, to human rights, to social welfare and development. They were invited to Washington, D.C. for the President’s Forum for Young African Leaders where they would have a chance to speak directly to the President and share their visions for the future of Africa.
President Barack Obama listens to a question during a town hall-style meeting with young African leaders in the East Room of the White House, Aug. 3, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Fonte: White House