The Precision Medicine Initiative, am I a doctor? No, I’m a CAPS Fellow. My first few weeks interning at Venn Strategies have been many things. It has been challenging, informative, exhausting, and so much more. I have found myself working on issues that truly matter to the betterment of our society. One of these projects is the Precisions Medicine Initiative. The Precision Medicine Initiative is a program started under the Obama administration. It is designed to expand the scope of medical testing to traditionally underrepresented communities to design new treatments that take into account gender, ethnicity, and environment. The PMI has already changed the way in which certain cancers are treated. But what about me? I have never attended medical school, let alone been exposed to precision medicine. My role has been to help in a different way. I have been assigned to the team that has helped to roll out the Mobile Engagement Unit. The Mobile Engagement Unit is a bus that has been modified into a mobile testing center that will be driving around the country to get people involved in research for the project. A bulk of my work has been preparing logistics as the MEU will be traveling starting its trek across the country in August.

The CAPS Fellowship has given me the opportunity to explore the diverse nature of the DC area. My roommates have developed a plan to eat at a restaurant representing a different part of the world every Friday night. As I write this blog I am quite full after our Ethiopian food extravaganza. In the future we plan on sampling Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, and Mongolian, just to name a few. This an opportunity that is unique to Washington DC. Outside of London or New York, it is difficult to find such a diverse group of foreign diaspora living in one place.

These two experiences are a mere sampling of the activities I have taken part in during my first few weeks in Washington that have facilitated the introspective nature of CAPS. I have found myself reflecting deeply on what my future will look like. For a long time I did not know whether I would pursue something in the non-profit sector or something business related. I had always held the two as distinctly different. I have seen through CAPS and my time that Venn Strategies that despite the fact that is not a non-profit, the work we do is changing the lives of those in America the better. There is a phrase written on one of the walls in the office that says, “act like the work you do matters, it does.” This phrase describes how I feel when I go into work every day. Whether it is helping the Precision Medicine Initiative or researching infrastructure improvement, I have learned that work in policy can truly be fulfilling work and give a purpose for getting out of bed each day. I look forward to the rest of my time at Venn Strategies and the rest of the CAPS Fellowship.

I wandered through the stairways and hallways of the center, I was given the task to find three things that stand out to me in the Harrison Center for the Arts from my supervisor. Art hangs on every wall; while, materials and supplies are stacked and ready to be turned into something new. It is a creative’s dream.
 
 

The building itself is old and shows its past through many periods of renovation and additions. Rooms vary from cinder block to brick to limestone. As one room is utilized for gallery or event space, the next will be an artist’s den filled with their work and supplies. There are old wood floors that transition to concrete with paint marks showing marks of the artists here. It feels like a maze in which each corner leads to something new. However, the building serves the purpose to house the artist’s space and their work as well as give a space for the community to gather and be inspired by art. The art covers the walls and amplifies the variety of textures and materials within this place. I sit in front of a painted copper piece while I recall the pieces I passed made with oil paint, beeswax, collage, wood, and more. These textures of the building and the art develop a sense of collectivity. It is a place where different talents and stories combine to create the atmosphere of the center.
 
 

It’s evident that this buildings has delivered a place that many artists find the freedom to create, the ability to try new things, and have instant feedback from the large community within the center. They art can be hung in any open space. The floors can get messy, and whimsical additions can be added to the cracks (as little wire men are found around the center helping ‘fix’ it up).

 
 

You can walk through this place and feel inspired, challenged by new ideas, and joyful because of all that surrounds you.

 
 

This place has developed into a center for continuous production and creation, and I have gotten the chance to experience and partake in this activity. Working here, you do not stay on one consistent assignment, as there are many going on at one time. In my first two weeks I have researched the history of pea shake houses and mortuaries to see their roles in a neighborhood that we are working in. I have interviewed an artist and resident of the community to hear his stories of the place. I have written blog posts and done more research finding clever ways of bringing art into neighborhoods. Eight other interns have arrived at the Harrison Center since I came, and we each are finding our place in the beautiful commotion of this place.

 
 

We have worked together to create a wall of butterflies with the neighborhood’s hopes and dreams written on them. This coming week we are planning to make yarn and leaf luminaires outdoors in another neighborhood. These project may seem simple, but they have connected us with these neighborhoods and have made people curious. And these are only several parts of my internship! It has already taught me so much and has given me an incredible community in which I get to work. I am very excited for whatever the next months have in store for me and this place!

 

 

-Regan Weber

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fully packed car that went from Fort Wayne to Rockville. The first two things that occurred to me when signing up for this blog were: 1) I really should sign up to do this blog at the same time my roommate does her blog so that I remember to do so! and 2) This blog follows my first week… that’ll be easy. I can talk about all the things I that I have learned.           The first point was perfect because I nearly forgot, and the second point was more difficult than I originally thought. It’s not because I haven’t learned anything, but because I have learned so much.  I have been inundated with information.  This information is both overwhelming and also thrilling.  I have felt the rush of wanting to dig into my project as well as the… “where do I even start?” feeling.  As one of the three fellows residing at The Village at Rockville (TVAR), the experience has already proven to be the start of an incredible fellowship. We have the privilege of living on the campus in one of the independent living cottages. Not only does that make for a great conversation starter, but ironically, two former CAPS fellows live across the street from us as well. We have been abundantly welcomed to the community. Not only have we had a chance to try out the local favorite eating spots, but we are also being exposed to a growing community that is taking steps to expand and flourish.           Our first week has been jam packed with things to get us oriented and acquainted with the community.  We completed a two day new staff orientation. We learned policies, safety, and what it means to be a team member at this organization. The rest of the week has been spent with Jason Gottschalk, the executive director, and Cyndi Walters, the COO, and many other members of the TVAR family.  The meetings we have attended have allowed us to meet and  get to know other leaders as well as introduce us to potential projects.  We have spent downtime researching various projects in order to hone in on the one or two that interests us the most.  We have also spent a great deal of time exploring the building and getting our bearings! Katie, Michelle, and I at Billy Goat Trail.           Outside of the office, my cottage-mates and I have encountered many of what we refer to as: “cottage lessons”.  Basically, they are pretty much life lessons we have come across as we adjust to living in Maryland. Some of these lessons are funny stories such as putting clothes in the dryer first as opposed to the washer.    Others are slightly more serious like visiting the minute clinic at the local CVS which is open 7 days a week.  This came in handy after an encounter with poison ivy.  Katie, Michelle, and I know that there are probably a thousand more cottage lessons we will encounter before our time here comes to a close.         The excitement I have for the upcoming adventures in both Rockville and D.C. is immeasurable.  We are set up for a summer of career growth, learning, leadership, great food, and memories.  I’ve never been so thrilled to be part of such an inspiring organization.   A picture of the scenery we saw while hiking.