Matthew Waskiewicz is on a mission to influence policy in his home state of Massachusetts. After his acceptance to American University in 2012, Waskiewicz met Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), SPA/BA ’81/MA ’84, at an event and introduced himself as a fellow SPA student. Their relationship grew, and in the fall of 2013, Waskiewicz interned in McGovern’s office. He did a lot of hands-on policy work, including editing outgoing letters and drafting constituent correspondence for the congressman.

This past summer, Waskiewicz was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study governance and politics in Wales for six weeks. While there, he studied a series of Welsh policies that he hopes to bring back to Massachusetts one day, such as a tax on plastic bags. As Waskiewicz wrote in his blog “Finding Wales,” the knowledge he gained there has been “woven…into the fabric of my being, quickly becoming part of the larger mosaic that stitches my worlds into one.”

Now back on campus for the fall semester, Waskiewicz serves as the president of AU’s Student Honors Board, is a resident assistant (RA), and is a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary. He is also in the jazz band and works with SPA’s undergraduate research journal, Clocks and Clouds. In addition to his internship with McGovern, Waskiewicz has also interned with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass).

#MySPAHistory

“SPA Professors Kimberly Cowell-Meyers and Bill Davies worked closely with me while I was applying for the Fulbright Wales Summer Institute. Their support was representative of all SPA faculty – they are so involved with the students, it really shows. My Fulbright experience would not have been possible without their help.”