TCD Students Selected for Internships in Obama Administration

Posted on: 21 May 2009

Three Trinity College students have been selected for this year’s Washington Ireland Programme which will give those chosen the opportunity to immerse themselves in the new Obama administration.

Fourth year students Hugh Hackett, studying philosophy and sociology and Séamus McManus, studying psychology and third year economics and political science student, Ciarán Gallagher will take part in the Washington Ireland Programme (WIP) internship this summer.

Hugh will work with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities of America, Séamus will be interning with the Environmental Protection Agency, in their Office of Policy, Economics and Innovationand Ciaran will be working with Senior U.S. Senator from the State of New York, Charles E. Schumer. At the end of the summer, the students will return to Ireland with enhanced professional and interpersonal skills, as well as a new confidence in their ability to work together to make a difference.

WIP is a non-profit organisation designed to give students a rich insight into America’s professional and social culture, through a two-month internship and an intensive training course in leadership and service.  The programme aims to select promising individuals, from Ireland and Northern Ireland, who will ultimately use their unique talents to contribute back to their home communities.  WIP offers an opportunity for students to understand and develop their leadership abilities through an intense leadership program that includes: Skills testing, the study of international leaders, and developing personal qualities such as public speaking and critical thinking.

More than 370 students have graduated from WIP now in its fifteenth year, representing twenty-five different education institutions throughout the UK and Ireland. Many graduates are now emerging in important careers in politics, law, business, communications, education, and community organisations.