Diliman Abdulkader had a busy but successful Fall quarter.  As an intern in the PPPA Capstone internship program, Diliman worked at the office of Congressman Derek Kilmer.  His time as an intern not only earned him academic credit and satisfied his Capstone requirement, but it gave him valuable real world experience that he will carry into his continued studies and beyond into his career.

As an intern with Congressman Kilmer Diliman fulfilled many duties such as answering emails and phone calls from concerned constituents, and filing documents for the congressman.  He also had the opportunity to interact with other employees in the office to organize community events that the congressman attended during his time away from Washington DC at his Tacoma office.  Diliman also had the opportunity to attend events with Congressman Kilmer, including those dealing with the current refugee crisis.  These opportunities were important to Diliman not only because of his career aspirations, but also because he was able to provide his own perspective to the congressman having been a refugee in the past as well.

The most valuable experience Diliman took from his internship was the opportunity to be directly involved in the realm of domestic politics.  He truly appreciated the ability to learn from and interact with the community on a day to day basis.  Diliman has a keen interest in international relations and human rights, but his internship with Congressman Kilmer helped him to understand the importance of domestic policy.  He feels that this experience will assist him in the future as he pursues further studies and his career.  At this time Diliman is applying to graduate schools and hopes to earn a Masters degree in international relations.  His goal is to become a diplomat for the United Nations between Kurdistan and the United States.

We wish him the best of luck!

For information about the PPPA Capstone internship program please contact Ann Frost at acfrost@u.washington.edu.