During the summer race to the white house, senior Mass Communications major Hasan Abdul-Karim earned a journalism internship in Washington D.C. Facilitated by the Fund for American Studies, Abdul-Karim reported on the Congressional Subcommittee of Homeland Security. While practicing journalism, he also participated in an economics course taught at George Mason University.
Abdul-Karim’s office in Washington D.C. was the National Press Club. Each day he brushed shoulders with well-respected journalists who wrote for publications such as National Geographic and Al-Jazeera. Only twenty minutes walking distance from the National Mall, Abdul-Karim’s floor was filled with fellow aspiring journalists from every corner of the earth. Each of the fifty states was represented. Although the Fund for American Studies has traditionally been a politically conservative organization, the myriad political inclinations of his dorm-mates were dizzying. There were Trump supporters, Hillary campaigners and a Bernie Sanders delegate, among many others.
While reminiscing upon his internship, Abdul-Karim’s eyes grew whimsically distant. His voice dripped with nostalgia. What he missed most about his time in Washington D.C. was visiting the national monuments at night.
“Everybody was young and new to the city,” Abdul-Karim said. “It was like 10 p.m. and the moon was out. Everything was lit up. At night, it wasn’t hot or crowded. My favorite was the Jefferson Memorial. It was secluded, and we just sat and talked awhile in front of the lake. Those are some of my fondest memories.”
One of his biggest regrets was that he wished he was more sociable during his stay in D.C. All of Abdul-Karim’s dorm-mates were new to this environment, including himself. They were tossed into a world that was full of opportunity, and that was entirely unfamiliar.
Abdul-Karim said, “It was the dorm experience I never had. In D.C., it was like being a freshman in the movie sense.” Among those regrets was a similar twinge. “Some kids were in it to win it,” he said. “I wish I networked more. I learned that you have to open your mouth and make mistakes. It was a 100 percent learning experience, through and through.”
While residing in Washington D.C., Abdul-Karim bounced around the idea of going to graduate school. He was inspired by a Columbia University alumnus he encountered there.
“A dream of mine is to go to Columbia,” Abdul-Karim said, “I want to work for a good publication. I know it’ll take a couple years. I don’t care if I have to move. I’ll work in Oklahoma for God’s sake!”
Abdul-Karim is already making ground on his journalism career writing for the Springfield News Sun. While staying in Washington, D.C. he said that he grew up; and that it helped him realize who he was, and who he wanted to become.
“It gave me a five year plan,” he said. Abdul-Karim’s ultimate aspiration is to become a Columbia-trained war correspondent for a respected publication. Wherever Abdul-Karim turns up in the future, one can presume that he will be intrepidly chasing his passions, in order that he may convert them into reality.
