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Interview with Sarah Basilion
- What was your major?
- History with a minor in American Studies
- What school did you attend?
- College of Arts and Sciences
- What are you passionate about?
- Travel, international education, human rights issues
- Your career ambition?
- I’m still figuring that out!
- What did you do next after the Cornerstone DC/AU?
- After my Cornerstone DC internship at the National Coalition for the Homeless, I interned at a women’s shelter and the National Archives and Records Administration. My senior year, I began working at the Cornerstone Office. Cornerstone DC was a fantastic experience for me, and I enjoyed helping other students have a similarly great experience.
- What are you doing now?
- I continued working with the Cornestone office after graduating, and served as in-country advisor for Cornestone Abroad in Greece.
- Why did you choose Cornerstone DC?
- I knew I wanted to go to AU and be in DC, and Cornerstone DC offered the opportunity to start my professional career while beginning a new chapter of my academic career.
- Where was your internship and what did you do there?
- I interned at the National Coalition for the Homeless. I mainly worked with other interns to compile information about meal services for people experiencing homelessness in the DC-Metro area and disseminate that information to people in need.
- Favorite experience in the program?
- Definitely the sites my class visited with our professors. We went to the Capitol Building, Supreme Court, National Archives, and even observed animals at the National Zoo.
- What do you want the world to know about Cornestone DC?
- The program is a great transition from high school into college, especially for students from smaller high schools or those who are a bit nervous to begin college. Your cohort becomes your family, and that support is vital while adjusting to college life.
- Cornerstone DC also teaches invaluable skills, like collaboration, how to write a resume and interview, conflict resolution, and others that translate both professionally and personally.
- Favorite course of study (Cornerstone DC and/or AU)?
- My favorite AU course was History, Memory, and the Changeable past. It discussed how perspective and time affect memory, and thus affect the historical record.
- What did you do for fun in DC and on the weekends?
- I’m a big film buff, so I’ve spent many weekends at the movies with friends or trying to find theaters showing independent films. I also love night monumenting. The monuments are beautiful lit up at night!
- Who is/has been the biggest influence on your AU experience so far?
- Professor Findlay in the history department. After taking a class with her freshman year I decided to major in history. She became my degree advisor, I took three classes with her and even wrote my capstone under her guidance. Dr. Findlay was there for me from beginning to end, and I owe much of my success to her support.
- How did Cornerstone DC change your life?
- Cornerstone DC set me up for success from my first semester at AU. I firmly believe that without my experiences in Cornerstone DC, it would have been much harder for me to land other internships and jobs.
- What inspires you?
- Feeling like something I am doing is helping someone else really inspires me. It also inspires me to be around other people who are passionate about what they are doing.
- What is your favorite quote?
- "To live long and achieve happiness, cultivate the art of radiating happiness." - Malcolm Forbes
- What is your favorite quote?
- "To live long and achieve happiness, cultivate the art of radiating happiness." - Malcolm Forbes
- How did Cornerstone DC change your life?
- Cornerstone DC changed my life because it gave me the opportunity to jump-start my career and begin building resume experience as soon as I arrived in DC. Cornerstone DC helped me transform from a young-adult with no work experience to a young-professional ready to enter the workforce.