A former Catalyst intern created this picture of what a day as Catalyst intern is like.

You are a studious, hard working, driven, forward thinking, socially conscious, intelligent, and morally sound young leader. You are now getting ready to start your Catalyst Internship Experience in Washington, DC, with The C4 Group. You, my friend, are pretty much amazing. 

You’re excited to come to DC and experience all Catalyst has to offer, but as the time draws near, you might begin to wonder what it’s going to be like. What exactly, will a typical day be like? My name is Payton, and I’m a Catalyst Intern. Let me show you what a typical day is like for me- 

7:00 am – My alarm clock goes off. This is early, I know. However, I sit in bed and think about how people in DC sometimes have to get up around 4:30 to be able to commute and clock in by 8:00. I realize how lucky I am not to be one of those people. 

7:22 am – I can’t put off getting up anymore. My roommate, Lance, is rocking out to the Lion King soundtrack in the bathroom. Lance is an interesting guy, but I like him. 

8:00 am – I’m dressed and ready to go for a morning of work at the office. My work attire for the morning? Jeans, Converse All Stars, and a Jerry Lewis Telethon tee shirt, circa 1983. Pretty sweet, huh? 

8:48 am – Lance and I take the metro, and arrive at the office. By office, I mean the Starbucks in Dupont Circle. I order a double iced skinny vanilla latte to drink with the banana I brought with me. I don’t like bananas, but have decided to stretch myself this summer, all while getting more potassium. 

9:00 am – My workday has officially begun. Turning on my iBook, I open up my email to see I’ve received an assignment from the C4 Communications Coordinator, D. He’s my work mentor, and gives me most of the work assignments I get. He’s asked me to write an article highlighting a recent study on ethics amongst youth in suburban America. He’s given me a copy of the study, and says to call him if I have any questions. 

10:32 am – I finish the article I had to write, and see I’ve gotten an email from my personal Catalyst mentor. He’s the guy that oversees the internship experience in general, and has emailed Lance and me to see if we want to go to some classic guitar festival in Georgetown tonight. It doesn’t really sound like my thing, but Lance is freaking out about it. And hey, Georgetown is definitely cool. 

Noon – Lance and I wrap up our morning assignments and grab a half smoke (kinda like a hot dog, but oh-so-much better) to eat on the street. As we sit on a bench enjoying our lunch, the President’s motorcade passes on its way back to the White House. Rad, don’t see that every day.

12:39 pm – We’ve come back to the apartment to get changed into suits for the afternoon. Monty, President of The C4 Group, is taking us to an important meeting with him. We’re not sure what it’s all about, but he did say to wear a suit. I’m almost ready to go, if I could just get my tie to look right. 

1:17 pm – Monty picks us up and as we park by one of the Senate office buildings, he explains that we’re meeting with the Senator who oversees the Family Services Committee. As we walk into the building, I realize I’ve forgotten my notebook (a big no-no) in the car and have to run back out and get it. Good thing we schedule extra travel time for things like this. 

1:48 pm – After sitting in her office lobby for a while, the Senator comes out to greet us and leads us into a meeting room. This is so weird; I’m in a room with Lance, Monty, the Senator, and her Chief of Staff. As we sit down, the Senator comments on my tie. Yeah, one of the most powerful women in America likes my tie! 

2:34 pm – Our meeting is over, and now we’re having some cookies down in the Senate Cafeteria. Monty’s talking to us about the meeting and what we learned, and what happens next in regard to what the Senator said. As we leave, I see a cute Congressional Intern. Note to self: visit this cafeteria again. 

3:16 pm – After changing back into normal clothes, I run to the post office to check C4’s mail. This is typical intern work, but typical things can be pretty awesome when done in DC. 

4:00 pm – I head back to the office, sort and deliver the mail, and set down to work the rest of the day. I’m working on an ongoing project – writing new copy for the website. It involves a lot of research (Library of Congress, anyone?), but has really been a good, hands-on experience. 

5:25 pm – Work wraps up for the day. I have got to take a nap before we go out tonight, so I lay down for 30 minutes… 

7:00 pm – Okay, 30 minutes may have turned into an hour-and-a-half. Oh well. Lance wakes me up, and Robby, the Catalyst mentor, picks us up. Here’s the thing about him, we may have an hour to get to the concert, but he drives like we’re already late. Don’t get me wrong, a high-speed tour of Washington’s Potomac River is pretty cool. 

7:29 pm – We arrive at the guitar concert. Lance and Robby are totally into it. I’m not going to lie…this thing is weird – the most eclectic group of hippies, Hill staffers, and college students I’ve ever seen. The music, not my thing. The people watching, I love. 

8:47 pm – Finally, Lance and Robby get bored with the music. We grab a coffee and walk along M Street, the main hubbub of Georgetown. It’s a beautiful DC night and tons of people are out walking. We stop by H&M and I snag a sweet new graphic tee that no one in middle America will have ever seen the likes of. Lance is extremely jealous. 

10:24 pm – Driving back to the Virginia suburbs, we decide to stop by the Roosevelt Memorial. One of the lesser-known memorials, this place has a sweet view of the city at night. It’s also got a ton of fountains and places to sit. Note to self – when visiting DC with girlfriend, come here. 

11:43 pm – We arrive back at our apartment. Lance and I watch some SportsCenter before going to bed. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow will be too. But you know what? I’m learning a lot, having a blast, and becoming a better leader within my field. Mom would be proud.