Honors College student visits George Washington's Estate
Student Spotlight: Claire Lee
Sept 16, 2016
By Emma Alexander,
Honors Communications Intern
"We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of
profiting by dearly bought experience."
-George Washington
This summer Claire Lee, a junior in the Honors College, had the opportunity to do just that. Not only did she reflect on her own experiences to develop a deeper understanding of her personal identity as a leader, but she reflected on the life of George Washington as well. What’s more, she did this investigation into the life and actions of George Washington as a resident of the Mount Vernon estate.
Yes, you read that right. Claire not only visited, but lived at George Washington’s historic home. Now you may be asking yourself, how does one come to have such an incredible opportunity?
I sat down with Claire to find out more. She shared that she was a part of the Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows program this summer. It is a prestigious, up and coming program, which targets rising juniors and gives sixteen lucky scholars the opportunity of a lifetime. Claire was a part of the second ever cohort of scholars. She found out about the program from her Honors advisor Catharine Patrone, who had acknowledged that it matched her interests very well. Fervently agreeing with that sentiment, Claire began the process by submitting a written application. In reflection, she noted that a fundamental part of the written application was the discussion of a cause that you are passionate about. Approximately 200 other students also submitted a written application last year. From there, 30 candidates were selected for interviews, before the field was finally narrowed down to a group of 16 scholars.
The fellowship consists of a six-week, fully paid, summer experience. The first week is spent living on the grounds of Mt. Vernon. During this portion of the program, scholars focus on personal leadership and leadership through biography (learning from George Washington himself). Claire divulged that this was a very immersive, eye-opening experience. However, the excitement didn’t end there. The following five weeks were spent at our nation’s capital. During this part of the experience, scholars strove to take the leadership basis they had previously built, and transport it into the 21st century, through the completion of capstone projects as well as by interacting with leaders in government, civilian, and military sectors.
But what would a summer in Washington DC be without tours of government buildings, monuments, and countless museum visits? Claire certainly had all of these opportunities, but her experience in DC went well beyond your average tourist. She had the opportunity to meet with leaders such as John Warner and Sonya Sotomayor. These were experiences that Claire describes as truly life-changing, and you can read more about them here on the blog that she kept throughout the program (https://claireinthecapitol.wordpress.com/).
However, now that Claire is back on campus, the positive effects of her summer experience have become even more evident. She continues to pursue the implementation of her capstone project, and as a leader on campus, she believes she has now changed for the better. “This summer really put things into perspective for me. I realized that it’s okay to now have it all figured out right now.” What’s more, she shared, “I know who I am a lot better now, and I know who I am as a leader.” This clarity in identity has allowed her to better leverage her strengths and the strengths of others in her various leadership roles.
From living on the Mount Vernon Estate, to spending evenings on the piazza watching the sunset over the Potomac river, to receiving advice from some of our nation’s most prominent leaders, Claire undoubtedly had a one of a kind summer. And luckily for the rest of us, this is an opportunity that is still available for future fellows.