Fagnani found out about the internship through the College’s job search engines online and applied last fall. She was first interviewed by the Foundation’s Intern Coordinator, at which time she was asked what department she would prefer to work in. “They gave me a choice between Correspondence and Scheduling. I was a communication major, so I was much more interested in the Correspondence aspect of the Foundation.” Fagnani then met with the Deputy Director of Correspondence, who ultimately offered her the position. Fagnani naturally accepted. “I wanted to learn how a foundation works and what needs to happen in order for it to be a success.” Did we mention that she’d be working for the 42nd President of the United States?
Among Fagnani’s responsibilities at the Foundation was initiating correspondence related to President Clinton’s programs, activities, and professional and personal relationships. She also staffed various Foundation events, including one held at Jazz at Lincoln Center with well-known attendees Chelsea Clinton, astronaut John Glenn, and producer Quincy Jones. Speakers included Mayor Michael Bloomberg and President Olusegun Obasanjao of Nigeria, but the guests seemed to want to see one person only: “People kept coming up to me and asking me, ‘Is President Clinton going to be here?’” President Clinton did indeed show up later that day, and Fagnani was proud to help out at such a distinguished event.
Fagnani’s work schedule during her internship was intense. Mount Saint Vincent requires all communication students to complete an internship in order to graduate, and they have to work a total of at least 120 hours. The Foundation’s time requirements, however, were a little more challenging. “The Foundation requires all their interns to work 20 hours per week; by the end of the semester, I had worked a total of 262 hours,” says Fagnani. Suffice it to say, her work week during the semester was full. Mondays she worked a half-day at the Foundation and took classes at night. Tuesdays she had classes all day. Wednesdays and Thursdays she worked all day at the Foundation. How did she manage to work such long hours and take classes? “My professors at the Mount were very accommodating regarding my work schedule. I am grateful for all of their support.”
Fagnani also had some valuable prior internship
experience to help her. During her summer and winter
breaks throughout college, she worked as an assistant to
the grants liaison at the U.S. Department of Agriculture
in Washington. She helped review grant proposals from
federal agencies, universities, and businesses. This
summer she will be back in D.C. doing an internship with
Changing Our World, a philanthropic services company.
“Sometimes I think I’ll just intern for the
rest of my life,” Fagnani
jokes, but she has much more ambitious plans for her
future.
Fagnani wants to one day develop her own nonprofit
agency. “I am very interested in charitable
organizations, and I would like to focus on domestic
issues.” She plans on working until she discovers
what issues she is most passionate about, and then she
will return to school for the appropriate advanced
degree. It certainly won’t hurt to mention on her
future applications that she once worked for President
Clinton.
