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Community Corner

Spotlight on: Pam Selman

Buffalo Grove has its own White House intern.

As summer is coming to a close and as we all start the grind of new schedules, early mornings and school days, the questions are looming; "How was your summer?" and "What did you do?" Buffalo Grove resident Pam Selman will have a lot to share about her summer break as a White House intern. 

A 2010 graduate and although only a junior at University of Wisconsin, she is graduating this year with a double major in political science and journalism. Busy girl, right?

About her internship, Pam says, “Being a White House intern is an honor and a privilege and is therefore something I have long wanted to do. Put simply, the internship means an opportunity to serve a president who I firmly believe in, and an administration that works tirelessly each day to better the country. Being part of that is an incredible opportunity.”

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Her mom Alyce said this internship is “so Pam.” She adds that her daughter has overcome many obstacles in her life and has never let anything get in her way. It’s obvious that Pam is quite a motivated young lady.

Personally, I have many friends and acquaintances whose kids have tried desperately to find any type of internship, apprenticeship or shadowing job this summer and it’s tough out there. Paid or unpaid, internships seem to be the “hot-ticket” job for college students as they often can lead to a permanent job after graduation.

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Pam’s internship comes at the most opportune time with a presidential election around the corner. I hope she’s soaking it all up. She says, “I am most excited about learning the real-world practices of government. There is really only so much you can learn from a textbook or a classroom. This internship program provides us with the opportunity to not only see government in action, but we also have the opportunity to hear from senior officials, staffers and other interns about their experiences. Each of these discussions comes with so many lessons learned, and gaining actual insight into how the White House operates is fascinating.”

Looks like Pam has a bright future ahead of her and probably a lot of good water cooler stories to share. Or, in her case, student union stories to share.

Please email me if you know someone who should be in the spotlight. I can be reached at laurenbgpatch@aol.com.

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