We hope you enjoy these top news stories about TFAS activities, alumni and events this week. Please visit us on social media for additional up-to-the-moment TFAS news and information and sign up to receive weekly updates.

TFAS alumni, staff and faculty continue to make headlines. Read news, analysis and updates by visiting this week’s “Quick Links.”

Back to Class: TFAS to Welcome Students In Person for Summer Programs

TFAS is excited to welcome nearly 300 students back to Washington for an in-person experience in our D.C. Academic Internship Programs this summer!

As we have done for more than 50 years, TFAS will place students in internships at the nation’s leading think tanks, nonprofits, law firms and government offices while they simultaneously take upper-level economics courses with world-class TFAS faculty.

The intensive and comprehensive eight-week program combines academic courses for credit, internships, housing, site briefings, guest lectures, a professional development series and a one-on-one mentorship program.

Although the summer will look different than usual, we are thrilled to announce that the majority of events will be offered in person. Students will have direct access to guest lectures by top policy experts, career exploration panels and small group discussions with leaders in Washington.

TFAS will welcome high profile speakers including Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley; New York Times best-selling author Amity Shlaes; TFAS alumni congressmen Rep. David Rouzer ’93, ’94 of North Carolina and Rep. David Kustoff ’89 of Tennessee and many more.

To learn more about the 2021 summer program, visit TFAS.org/DCPrograms21.

Spring Capital Semester Student Learns “Ins and Outs” of Life in Nation’s Capital

When Kayla Davidson ’21 enrolled in Penn State University in 2019, she had always been interested in government and politics. As a second-year political science and psychology student, Davidson learned about the TFAS Capital Semester program in Washington, D.C., and knew it would be the perfect place to learn the ins and outs of Congress on Capitol Hill. In a recent interview with the Lower Bucks Times, the Langhorne, Pennsylvania, native shared her experience living, learning and interning in the nation’s capital this spring with TFAS.

Along with taking classes at George Mason University, Davidson also spent the semester interning in the office of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents the first congressional district of Pennsylvania. Davidson believes that her TFAS experience this spring will ultimately help set her up for a successful future in politics and government.

“I’m learning new things every day. Once I graduate college, I’ll have the experience of being an intern at Capitol Hill under my belt,” Davidson shared with the Lower Bucks Times. “I have a better chance of getting a job offer down here if I ever want to work on the Hill after graduation.”

Read more about Davidson’s experience with TFAS in the Lower Bucks Times.

TFAS Trustee Fred Barnes Retires From Decades-Long Journalism Career

TFAS congratulates Trustee Fred Barnes on his retirement as senior columnist for the Washington Examiner. Fred’s career in journalism spanned nearly six decades as he covered politics, the president and more, including sports. His publications included the Washington Star, Baltimore Sun, New Republic, the Weekly Standard and the Examiner. He could be seen on television on the McLaughlin & Company and Beltway Boys shows, plus a variety of other programs on both Fox News and Fox Business.

In addition to all this and to raising four wonderful children with his wife Barbara, Fred has supported TFAS, hosted interns and spoken at TFAS programs for more than four decades. He stepped up following the death of Clark Mollenhoff to serve as the “temporary” director of our journalism and communications program for more than 25 years! Fred even allowed TFAS to organize a dinner to “roast” him and use the proceeds of that event to establish the Fred Barnes Scholarship Fund.

TFAS is grateful to have Fred continue to serve on our Board of Trustees and we congratulate him on an outstanding career in journalism. Read Barnes’ farewell and retirement announcement in Washington Examiner.

Dan McConchie ’93, ’95 writes about the lack of checks and balances in governments implementing COVID-19 restrictions in a piece for The Wall Street Journal.

Ellis Smith ’08 is the new director of special projects for the City of Chattanooga.

Alexandra Seymour, PPF ’18, is now chief of staff for Calypso AI’s Capitol Region Team.

Ben Nuelle ’14, PPF ’20, will cohost the second season of the Agri-Pulse “Deep Dive” podcast on agriculture and renewable fuels policy.

Jenn Kabbany, Novak ’02, writes about the biggest issues facing higher education today in The College Fix.

Alexis Lenderman-Black ’17, ’19 and Justin Black ’18, ’19 were interviewed on the Self Publishing School’s podcast on “How to Write a Memoir That Actually Sells Copies (Without Being Famous).”

Jakub Kulhánek ’07 has been appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

Alma Weijia Chen ’20 analyzes regime preferences of people in mainland China and Hong Kong in a piece for The Diplomat.

Chris Moody, Novak ’20, shares the story of Anjali Enjeti, a woman who is discovering her identity in the evolving South in a piece for Chapter 16.

Serena Sigiliito, Novak ’19, shares interviews from her Novak Fellowship project on Catholicism, traditional gender roles and avoiding extremist feminism in a piece for America Magazine.

Christine Emba, Novak ’18, discusses “pandemic fatigue” in The Washington Post.

Atif Choudhury ’10 writes about the COVID-19 crisis in India in The Diplomat.