This semester I have been blessed with the unique opportunity to write for the American Enterprise Institute's Initiative on Faith & Public Life. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is "a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world," and is based in Washington, D.C. Their recently rebranded Initiative on Faith & Public Life is aimed at "providing Christian college students with formational educational and professional opportunities that propel them to lives of faith and leadership in the public square."
As part of this initiative, college students across the nation have the opportunity to form Executive Councils on their respective campuses with the goal to "improve political discourse [by] fostering substantive, non-partisan conversations on topics related to faith, politics, public policy, economics, business, law, and society." Members of this program have access to AEI's extensive student network, all-expenses-paid conferences with nationally-recognized speakers in Washington, D.C., and at prestigious universities, and excellent resources for professional development and leadership training.
Each semester, three Executive Council members are selected to contribute to the Faith & Public Life blog. Each Blog Contributor writes three op-ed style pieces for this blog. These students receive editorial feedback on their submissions and have the chance to interact with an AEI scholar for op-ed training.
In January I received notice that I had been selected as one of this semester's three contributors [fun fact: I used my post on the beginning of the War on Terror as my writing sample in the application]. My second piece was published just over a week ago. The Faith & Public Life team has been exceptional to work with, especially during these uncertain past two months. The program has challenged me to write for an entirely new audience and allowed me to further explore topics within my major discipline.
Both of my published op-eds are available here, while the third and final piece will be available in early May. My first argues that the ugly face of politics today is by no means new (written at the conclusion of the Trump impeachment proceedings). My second examines one neglected aspect of what makes a good president. The op-eds submitted by my peers are also available on the blog, and I would strongly recommend their work to you as well.
I have been blessed to be a part of AEI's programs during the greater part of my undergraduate career and I would highly recommend much of their work and literature for your consideration.
Comments