Like at other institutions across the country, Lander University students are continuing to find unique ways to adjust to learning and working in a new at-home environment thanks to COVID-19. Senior political science major Jake Powell is no exception.
Powell was originally participating in the South Carolina Washington Semester Program (SCWSP) this semester, and interning with Senator Tim Scott, of South Carolina. Since March 16, however, Senator Scott's staff, including Powell, have been teleworking due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
"It's been a very enriching experience to say the least," said Powell.
Because so many of his internship duties were in-person activities, like giving capitol tours to constituents, working remotely has given Powell the opportunity to switch gears and assist Senator Scott's staff with research projects from his home in Greenville. Meanwhile, the two college courses Powell was enrolled in as part of SCWSP have moved online for the remainder of the semester.
"It has not been the semester that I had envisioned," Powell said, "but it definitely has been a historical one. What other internship would allow you to be in the heart of the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history one month, and be in the middle of a global pandemic the next?"