Intern Profile: Luke Holladay

This past semester, Values & Capitalism welcomed Luke Holladay to the team as one of our fall interns. A recent graduate of Wheaton college, Luke wrote blog posts for us, helped to develop our Q&A series, assisted with writing and research projects, and much more. We asked Luke a few questions about his time interning with us: What was the best aspect of your internship with Values & Capitalism?

The opportunity to complete meaningful tasks related to fields I am interested in. I was expecting this internship to give me a snapshot of what it looks like to work in a think-tank in DC. Because of the responsibilities given to me, I can leave here having actually having participated in this culture instead of just observing it in an outside role. The balance between assignments and self-directed work helped keep the work interesting.

What have you learned from your experience?

I have a much better grasp of the debate concerning morality and capitalism. I’m much more familiar with the influential authors in this area and the sorts of arguments used on both sides. I’ve also learned a lot about blogging and what a successful blog looks like.

What would you recommend most to others about interning at AEI?

To take every opportunity they are given while here. While I enjoyed my experience and found it incredibly worthwhile, I can also see how it would be easy to squander this internship. Attending events, taking on projects, and sharing your interests with your [research assistant] and scholar all lead to a more fruitful experience where you are performing tasks that both interest you and challenge you.

How has this internship helped you achieve your goals or build new skills? 

My goal coming out here was just to see what it looks like to work in the policy world—this internship has absolutely satisfied that and has offered other benefits as well. I have a better understanding of blogs and how organizations promote their ideas. Also, this internship improved my reading and writing skills by teaching me how to effectively keep up with different blogs and new sources as well as challenging me to write in a new style. As an additional, invaluable benefit, this internship provided the opportunity to meet and work alongside fellow interns.

Thank you for your excellent work this semester, Luke!