College News

QE Politics Students Are Virtually in Washington DC

QE Politics students have not let the lockdown prevent them from getting a taste of the experience they would have been having in Washington DC this year. Second year students normally travel to the US capital for a week of political study, taking in the Capitol building, the White House, the Supreme Court and much more. They also have the opportunity to meet with some people at the forefront of politics in the USA. And in spite of the global pandemic, they have been able to take part in exclusive video calls with some of the people they would have been seeing in person. 

Last week students met Chelsea Wiggins, a leading lawyer for the National Abortion Federation. For over an hour, they were able to ask questions and take advantage of Chelsea’s authoritative knowledge of the subject gained from working on the front line.  The discussion ranged from the significance of Donald Trump’s appointments to the Supreme Court, such as Amy Coney Barrat, to the way in which reproductive rights face challenges in states like Kentucky and Louisiana.  Students were able to get an insider’s perspective on recent Supreme Court rulings and on what we might expect from a Biden Presidency.  Chelsea even found time to give us an impression of what it was like to work and live in DC at the time of the storming of the Capitol and the Presidential Inauguration. 

Speaking about the meeting afterwards, Charlie Toole said, “Our NAF meeting was amazing as we got first-hand information that added real substance to the knowledge we’ve learnt in lessons.”  Katelyn Jeffels was similarly impressed, “It was inspiring to meet such an influential woman in  American politics and ask her questions about her important work, I feel like it gave a real insight into how pressure groups operate in US politics”.

The students are now looking forward to part two of their virtual DC experience this week, where they will meet a leading figure from America’s most important civil rights organization; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.