Meet COSSA’s Policy Intern: Caroline Seo

Caroline Seo started as COSSA’s policy intern in June. Before she signs off, she provided some reflections from her time at COSSA!

How did you learn about COSSA and the opportunity to serve as a policy intern?

My spring semester involved many hours of perusing William & Mary’s job post platform and asking professors if they had any connections with people working in the Northern Virginia area that they would be open to putting me in contact with. Both modes of searching were turning up unsuccessfully, probably because I have pretty specific interests. As a philosophy and sociology double major who is excited about pursuing as much formal education as possible and dreams of having the opportunity one day to do her own research at the intersection of both of her majors, I was well aware that I was asking for a lot when it came to finding an internship that would be perfect for my interests. I was explaining this to one of my professors, and she instructed me to “just Google: social science, intern, DC” — Google I did! I eventually found COSSA’s website and saw that they were looking for interns. After reading the “About” page and learning about COSSA’s mission of promoting social and behavioral sciences, I realized that COSSA could be a place that would help me learn about the very important intersection between academia and the government. I applied as quickly as possible.

How did the internship fit into your academic or career planning?

After I finish my bachelor’s degree, I have my sights set on a doctorate in sociology. This will probably entail applying for grants and fellowships. This summer, I have been able to learn more about the policy that shapes how grants work and America’s research enterprise — it has been crazy at times, but very important and informative. On the career side, working with COSSA has allowed me to understand a bit more about what a job working in government relations is like. I think this has been invaluable. It was a special opportunity to see inside this industry since both of my majors aren’t government forward and I may not have gotten to otherwise.

What stood out to you most about your internship (i.e., did you learn anything interesting/eye opening or was there a task that you enjoyed most)?

What has been especially eye opening is the work that I have done to stay up to date with Congress as its actions pertain to social science and research. I have never watched so many hearings, looked through every bill that has been introduced daily, or researched every member of the House to see who is running for reelection or not before. The perspective that this has given me on how the legislative branch functions is still surface level, but miles deeper than any understanding I had before. I know that I would not get the chance to research Congress had I not interned at COSSA this summer, so I am very grateful for this experience and knowledge. 

What would you tell future policy interns about the opportunity and/or about interning in-person in Washington, DC?

I would tell them to enjoy it as much as they can! I would also tell people who aren’t government or political science majors to consider applying. I think that anyone with interest in social science could benefit a lot from branching out and understanding the research-academia-government relationship more fully.

What’s next for you?

As I enter my third year at William & Mary, I look forward to being an executive for our philosophy club, taking a course on qualitative research methods, and hanging out at the library. Some interests that I look forward to exploring in the coming year include 17th and 18th century philosophy, quantitative research methods, and sociology of religion. I am also excited about researching PhD programs in sociology around the country and perhaps abroad.