Emily Smith has been hanging out along the Potomac for the past two summers, but not as a tourist.  As a participant of the 2022 A&S Professional Development Program in Washington, DC, Emily successfully used her connections and experience to land internships in Washington during the summers of 2022 and 2023. 

During the 2022 DC trip, Emily attended site visits at government agencies, toured the United States Capitol, met with congressional leaders and their staffs, interviewed a lobbyist, and networked with UA alumni working in the city. That summer, she served as a congressional intern in the office of Alabama Congressman Barry Moore. During the summer of 2023, Emily continued her journey by interning in the Executive Department of Free the Facts, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focusing on voter education of federal programs.

Emily majors in International Students with a triple minor in Arabic, Counterterrorism, and the Blount Scholars Program while working on her Master’s degree in Public Administration through UA’s Accelerated Master’s Program. Upon completion of her degrees in 2025, she plans to attend law school.