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Keimi Driscoll in front of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

Keimi Driscoll knows it will be hard get on the career path she wants to follow, but she believes a summer in Washington, D.C., will give her the edge she needs.

 

Thanks to a grant from the bequest of late City Administrator Ray Gosack, Driscoll is spending her summer at The Washington Center, an independent nonprofit that offers internships and seminars for students, providing a mix of academic rigor and real-world experiences.

 

At 25, the Fort Smith resident is a nontraditional student at the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith, studying political science and international business. She spent the last three years working two jobs to pay for her education. However, she said, she could not have attended The Washington Center this year without this award.

 

鈥淚 am extremely grateful to Ray Gosack for making this opportunity available to me,鈥� she said recently. 鈥淭he people I will meet, the experience I receive, and the knowledge I gain from the entire experience (are something) I could never have attained from my own limited resources.鈥�

 

At the Washington Center, Driscoll will work with the International Division of the National Conference of State Legislatures. She will research international political issues and help prepare the group鈥檚 Legislative Summit in August in Boston.

 

She will also have a chance to attend networking events, visit graduate schools and talk to people in fields she might like to pursue. She鈥檚 hoping her experiences will help her focus her career goals. Right now she isn鈥檛 sure if she wants to work in public service or nonprofits.

 

鈥淭he field I want to go into is not necessarily easy to get into, but Washington. D.C., is the best place to go if you want to try. Without the Ray Gosack funding, I never would have gotten the opportunity to try.鈥�

 

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