For Brandon Hensley it was a first.

But it was also a first for Eastern.

Hensley, senior communications major, was one of the first two Eastern students to participate in a 10-week internship through The Washington Center last summer.

Bonnie Irwin, dean of the Honors College, said The Washington Center works with different universities from across the country to set up student internships in Washington, D.C.

Hensley attended an informational meeting about the center last spring after Irwin sent out an e-mail to honors students telling them about the program.

After asking faculty members questions and watching a video about The Washington Center, Hensley decided to apply.

“It really appealed to me because The Washington Center took care of everything,” Hensley said. “You don’t have to go to housing to figure out where you will stay or get in contact with places for an internship. They kind of ease you into the process.”

The program is open to all students who are at least second semester sophomores with a minimum grade point average of 2.75. Some agencies require a 3.0 GPA for interns.

Irwin said students could participate in an internship offered by The Washington Center during a semester or during the summer.

When students apply for the program, they answer questions about their interests, majors and career goals, Irwin said. The Washington Center then uses this information to place students in appropriate internships, she added.

Upon acceptance into the program, Hensley was given a list of potential internships. The Washington Center sent Hensley’s information to the organizations on the list and the organizations then contacted Hensley for a phone interview.

Hensley chose to intern at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services because the government agency offered him a monthly stipend to help with living expenses.

In addition to the stipend, Hensley said he received a grant from the state, causing him to have to pay only one-third of the initial program cost.

As an intern, Hensley said he worked about eight or nine hours a day. His primary responsibilities were with public affairs and web communications. Hensley conducted research and wrote interactive pieces for the agency’s Web site.

In addition to interning, students accepted into The Washington Center are required to attend seminars and maintain a portfolio.

Although he was intimidated when the program began, Hensley said being in an unfamiliar place and not knowing anyone pushed him to succeed.

“It was challenging,” Hensley said. “I really think I grew a lot because of it, because I was out there on my own and you are held accountable for your job and other work.”

At the end of the 10 weeks, Hensley said their internship supervisors evaluated the students.

Hensley said when his internship was over, he felt more confident about his communication skills.

“It really prepared me for the business and professional world,” he said. “It wasn’t like I went and got coffee for people. I was completely involved in the agency. It really helped me to establish contacts that might be useful in the near future.”

When Irwin first heard about the program, she said she was surprised but pleased to learn how many different types of internships The Washington Center offered.

“When I think Washington, D.C., I think political science or history,” Irwin said. “But I found out that they have internships no matter what your field is in.”

Eastern does not have a formal partnership with The Washington Center, but Irwin said the university is pursuing one.

While she had hoped Eastern would be a partner to The Washington Center this year, Irwin said the process involves many offices on campus and said she has set a goal to be partners by next year.

One of the reasons for wanting to form a partnership with The Washington Center is to help reduce the costs of the program for Eastern students.

“We need ways to try to help support students who want to participate,” Irwin said. “There are some scholarships available from other groups but the program is rather costly.”

Like with the National Student Exchange, applying for a partnership with The Washington Center requires much planning and coordination. Irwin said the university still needs to determine which office on campus will be handling the program and where it will be housed. Until then, Irwin said students interested in the program should contact her at the Honors College.

“We do have a lot of interest and we know it’s a good program for our students,” she said. “We’re trying to figure out what would be the best way to do it at Eastern.”

Irwin said the university is also working on setting up a formal system allowing students to receive credit for their work with The Washington Center. She said most public schools waive the tuition for the credit hours students earn during the program.

Irwin said The Washington Center allows students to build their resumes and establish contacts that may help them find a job after graduation. The program also exposes students to people from different parts of the country, she added.

“It’s one thing to visit Washington, D.C.,” Irwin said. “It’s a very different thing to work behind the scenes, to really meet people and to realize how our government works. You also have the opportunity to meet people you’ve heard of.”

Irwin said students interested in spending time interning in D.C. should start planning at least one year ahead.

Barbara Harrington can be reached at 581-7945 or at bjharrington@eiu.edu.