College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University

On the job training

Washington Center internship helps Stephanie Noble decide career path.
Some people use an internship as a springboard to a job.

Stephanie Noble used her internship through The Washington Center this past summer as an opportunity to see what life was really like in the nation's capital.

"I always thought this is where I wanted to work after graduating from law school," said the senior political science major. "I used this internship to find out if this is where I really wanted to be."

And although she says her summer in Washington, D.C., was "a phenomenal learning experience" and she was "glad she took advantage of it," don't expect to see Noble permanently on the East Coast.

"I found out that I missed Iowa," she said. "I really wanted to intern out here. It's a really good resume builder and a defining experience that not everyone has.

"But instead of making a move out here five years from now, I've experienced Washington already."

While Washington, D.C., may not be for Noble, a career as an attorney is definitely in her future. Her summer internship with the U.S. Attorney General's Criminal Division reaffirmed that.

Noble interned with an assistant attorney general in the diversion program. Noble says while she did do a lot of filing, she was also involved in a variety of cases including drafting motions, researching old cases and statutes, attending court with her supervisor and reviewing "jacket cases."

"I would read through the affidavits and was asked if we should proceed with the case," she said. "The fact that I was even asked for advice made me feel good."

The office Noble interned in dealt with drug and DWI cases, traffic violations and other misdemeanors in the District of Columbia.

Noble says her Iowa State classes, including "Political Theory" taught by political science's Kathleen Waggoner, prepared her for the internship.

"I knew more about the law than the other interns and as much as many of the law students who were working there," she said. "I credit it to Dr. Waggoner's class."

Students like Noble who participate in The Washington Center are also required to take classes during their stay through George Washington University. In Noble's case, she was fortunate to enroll in a criminal law class.

"The class really helped me out," she said. "It was tailored perfectly to my internship."