Leslie Backoff
How does your internship relate to your major?
By Leslie Backoff
Summer 2013
In a city full of interns studying subjects such as political science or international relations I often get looked at weirdly when I say that I am studying hospitality administration. People become even more surprised to hear that my internship consists of planning meetings and events at a military university. I must admit that when I was offered an internship at National Defense University I was a bit apprehensive about how much it would actually relate to event planning. However, with my time at NDU coming to an end I can completely say that I have had great experiences that I will take with me for the rest of my career in the hospitality industry.
National Defense University is located on Fort McNair in the South West part of D.C. The wide range of masters programs and research centers as well as the large number of international students that come to study at NDU make for very diverse types of events on campus. Every year, the events department at NDU will put on over 600 events that range from a meeting with four people to the graduation ceremony that hosts over 3,000 attendees. Some of the events I have helped with include: a dedication of an original set of plans for the Normandy invasion, a meeting with Australian scholars, the NDU graduation ceremonies, a seminar on China and Iran, and a speech by the ambassador from Iraq.
One of the best experiences I have had during my internship was getting to plan a meeting between the President of National Defense University, Major General Gregg Martin and the Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea, General Sun Yup Paik. General Paik is 92 years old and is known for his service in the Korean War and for becoming the first four-star general in the history of the South Korean military.
For this visit my duties included being in contact with the Korean Embassy to answer any questions about the visit, making the agenda for the day’s events, briefing the President of NDU on the visit and also setting up the meeting room. The day of the visit I arrived at work at 7:30 in the morning to make sure that everything was ready for the arrival of the Korean delegation at 9:00. General Paik had an extremely busy schedule that day so I had to make sure that the visit lasted for no more than one hour. The delegation arrived on time and the meeting was held without any glitches. Planning this meeting helped me to enhance my communication, organizational, time management and event management skills.
Prior to my internship at NDU I had a one-track mind about what types of companies I could work for in the future. Working at National Defense University has opened my eyes to a whole range of jobs and experiences within event planning. I will be taking away many new skills and experiences that relate directly to the hospitality industry that I can use for the rest of my career.
