Name: Michael Wolfe

Year: Sophomore

Major: Economics, Political Science

CFS Class: Field Studies in Civic Engagement

Employer: J.B. Pritzker for Governor of Illinois

 

I have truly enjoyed my internship and CFS course because I have had the opportunity to discuss my values and my aspirations in a supportive environment. In our CFS course I learned that civic engagement is crucially important in our society. However, I also came to realize that the meaning of civic engagement, and of impact on society, takes on a different form for everyone. The success story of the Chicago Field Studies program is that CFS did not attempt to define civic engagement for us; the program does not restrict the type of internship we need to have to basic volunteering (i.e. for charity). Rather, CFS enabled me to examine my passion for politics in the form of “impact” on my local community. Similarly, others would have never been able to incorporate their passions into their course schedules either, whether it be veterinarian work or immigration law internships.

Unique from any other program at Northwestern, CFS provided me a chance to take a break from my Economics and Political Science courses in order to consider the bigger picture, and I truly appreciate that. Even better, I was actually given course credit that counted towards my major! Overall, the JB Pritzker for Governor campaign is something that I would have never thought I could possibly incorporate into my class schedule; I had an excellent experience at my internship.