Hope College football student-athlete Luke Stehney is learning about the federal government while taking part in the Washington, D.C., Honors Semester.
The junior offensive lineman from Royal Oak, Michigan (Birmingham Brother Rice HS) is a constituent affairs intern for Rep. Paul Mitchell's (R-MI) office.
Hope College is spotlighting Luke Stehney as part of NCAA Division III Week on campus. Learn more about Division III Week.
Stehney, a political science major, recently spoke with "Stories of Hope" blog writer, Eva Dean Folkert, about his experience living, working and thriving in the nation's capitol.
Stories of Hope (SOH): What is the one thing you want people back home to know about what it's like to work in D.C. during a tumultuous political time in the country?
Luke: From the bleachers looking in on D.C., you think it's all divided, that everybody's always in turmoil or conflict. But when you're here, it's not like that. If you want to argue with someone, you can find it. But for the most part, people are trying to straighten everything out and work together. And that's not often portrayed in the media. No one wants to read about people getting along. But really, people out here are trying to do good things. They're good people, and they're trying to make things work.
SOH: What is one surprising thing you've encountered in your work as an intern?
You watch politics from afar and you see these people on TV every day, in the newspapers, or on social media and you think, these are important people. They're like celebrities, out of reach. And you get out here and you see politicians are people like you and me, too. It's heartening to see them on the cover of a magazine or be on TV and then, you come into the office, and they're having a casual conversation and joking and laughing. Congressman Mitchell could fit in great with my family at Thanksgiving dinner. But it's really cool to see that and recognize that they're people. And that's what they are at the core. They like to get along, they like to talk, to laugh. They're not just a boss who's scary, telling you what to do. They're not necessarily your friend either, but they're more than just a politician.
SOH: Give us an overall review of the D.C. Honors Program. If someone is thinking of enrolling in the D.C. Honors semester, what advice do you give him or her?
Luke: Studying abroad is a great thing, but a great part about D.C. is that it is a true international city. There are so many world cultures represented here. You hear several different languages on the Metro every day. Plus, they say New York never sleeps but D.C. truly never sleeps, too. There's a lot you can learn by living in the nation's capitol.
SOH: You are going to be inheriting the good and the bad of American politics in your futures. As you consider your career ahead, whether it's here in D.C. or in some other part of the country, how are you going to roll up your sleeves and make a difference in American public life?
Luke: A big realization I've had is the concept of cooperation in government and politics. People want to make a difference, but they can't do it on their own. You can't do it within your party. You can't do it within your branch. You have to work across the aisle, across all of D.C. So in terms of cooperation, it takes all hands on deck and everybody going in the same direction, and that's hard to achieve honestly. Not everybody wants to go in the same direction all the time. I've honestly learned here that politics isn't negative; it's not gloomy. It's very positive. People want to help other people, and it gives you hope for the future because they want to sincerely make a difference. I hope to do that, too.
Stehney and three other Hope students are participating in the Washington, D.C., Honors Semester.
* Senior Angelique Hines (an English and political science double major from Chicago, Illinois) is an educational policy intern in Sen. Richard Durbin's (D-IL) office;
* Junior Joe McCluskey (a political science major from Burton, Michigan) is on the development team at the Bipartisan Policy Center;
* Junior Tom Kouwe (an economics and math double major from Wheaton, Illinois) works in the dairy division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Read more about their experiences in the Washington, D.C., Honors Semester.
Photo of Washington, D.C., Honors Semester students, from left, Joe McClusky, Tom Kouwe, Angelique Hines, and Luke Stehney, in front of Union Station by Eva Dean Folkert '83
Photo at right of Luke Stehney by Meredith De Avila '04 Khan
