It was a last-minute decision to apply for a Washington, D.C. internship through the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, but if there’s one thing Erin Pruitt has learned during her education at California State University, Bakersfield, it is that the right answer usually is yes.
The communications major, now in her senior year, spent the fall 2022 semester in the office of a California congressman, just weeks after returning from a trip to France with other CSUB students.
“We were in Paris for 10 days, and I was back for two weeks," she said. "I got my clothes dry-cleaned and was in the car headed to the Panetta Institute in Monterey for training. That was the craziest time frame ever, but it’s going to be hard to top this year of my life.”
Founded in 1997 by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and his wife Sylvia, the institute serves the entire California State University system, providing a range of opportunities in government, politics and public policy. Students in the internship program are placed with a member of the California congressional delegation for 11 weeks, from September through November. The program begins in mid-August with two weeks of training and orientation at the Panetta Institute in Monterey.
The internship opportunity — which covers all expenses, including travel and lodging — is open to one undergraduate student from each of the 23 campuses in the CSU system. Applications for the 2023 fall program are due Monday, April 10.
Though the majority of interns are political science majors, the opportunity is open to all undergraduates, regardless of major. Pruitt was quickly promoted to working with the office’s press team when senior leadership learned she was a communications major.
“I was getting the best of both worlds,” said Pruitt, 22. “I was learning more about political science but also tapping into my major.”
The program matches the students based on a number of criteria, including topics of interest and political party affiliation. An Independent, Pruitt was placed with Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who represents California’s 14th District, which encompasses most of Alameda County.
“He took the opportunity the first day that he got back from his district to spend time with all of us new interns," she said. "He introduced himself to us and asked each of us our names, majors, where we were from and more about us.”
The 20 units that Pruitt received from her 11 weeks in Washington will allow her to graduate with a minor in political science. She’s even considering a career one day in global politics after graduate school, but the experience also gave her a new perspective on the world and her place in it.
“In Bakersfield, where I grew up, it feels like a small town, at least to me. But my time in Washington made me realize how big the world is and how intricate it is, how important it is to understand that we’re all interconnected nationally and globally," she said. "It made me realize how much I did not know about how our government works.”
Pruitt, who was given a leadership position among interns by the institute, said she returned to her hometown far more confident about her ability to adapt and thrive.
“There was a lot of writing, a lot of analyzing real-world situations. I had to learn a different way of thinking," she said. "You also meet important people, and you learn how to carry yourself, how to talk, the industry norms and how to treat people in a professional environment.”
During her free time, Pruitt made the most of her opportunity, traveling to New York, Philadelphia and other cities on the East Coast.
“When I went to Paris and Washington, I wanted to have no regrets,” she said. “I wanted to do everything I could and have fun. I had a teacher once who said that the world is your oyster, and you’re the pearl.”