Lander University has continued its enviable record of placing students in the Washington Semester Program sponsored by the University of South Carolina Honors College. Since 2010, Lander has nominated 14 students for the program and all of them have been accepted.
The latest is Luke Harris, of Greer, an Honors College student majoring in political science. He is also a junior-level cadet in the university's Reserve Officer Training Corps and the first Lander ROTC cadet accepted into the program.
Harris transferred to Lander from Greenville Technical College in the fall of 2014. He said he was attracted by the description of the political science program on the university's website.
He will spend the fall 2016 semester in the nation's capital, which fits with his interests in politics and public policy, and he hopes to be given an internship in a congressional office on Capitol Hill. His long range plan is to obtain a master's degree in public administration.
In addition to their work assignments, Washington Semester interns attend classes for which they earn course credits. Harris will also use distance learning to keep up with his ROTC training and maintain physical fitness requirements.
After graduating from Lander in 2017, Harris will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He described his ROTC experience as having given him discipline and leadership qualities plus extra motivation to study and compile a high level of academic achievement. He said those are important factors the Army considers when choosing ROTC graduates to fill open slots. Harris said military intelligence is his first choice for an Army assignment.
Harris, a member of the Alpha Chi national honor society, said the process of applying for the internship was pretty intensive and included a resume, letters of recommendation from faculty and others and a personal statement. The final step was an interview with the University of South Carolina Honors College committee that considers students for internships. "I was nervous," he said, "but also well-prepared because of the mock interview conducted by Lander faculty members." Plus, he spoke with other Lander students who completed the internship and who told him what he can expect in Washington.