Saadiah Lababidi

Having grown up in Egypt and Nigeria before moving to the United States, Saadiah Lababidi brought her international perspective to Hamilton's Term in Washington Program, where she interned with the Senate Subcommittee on African Affairs and the Council for American-Egyptian Affairs.

Saadiah's mother, an American living in Egypt, and father, a Syrian-Lebanese businessman living in Nigeria, are the driving influences behind her academic and career choices. A world politics major, she plans to work in international law.

"Working on Capitol Hill, I have seen how the American political system really works." she said. "It's a lot different than reading about Congress in a textbook."

Each year, 15-20 Hamilton students live and work in the nation's capitol through the Term in Washington Program. In addition to interning fulltime in congressional offices and government or non-government agencies, students participate in weekly seminars taught by an on-site Hamilton professor. It's a combination of the best of Hamilton's academic experience and the flood of opportunities in Washington, DC.

Although Saadiah gained valuable insight as a Washington insider, the experience had its frustrations. "I worked on the official visit of the foreign minister from the Democratic Republic of Congo. His country is in turmoil with external infringement of its borders, and he came to appeal to the U.S. Government for assistance," she said. "Nothing is going to happen as a result of his visit. The attitude from the congressional staff is 'sorry, it's not Kosovo.'"

It is Africa's growing role in global economic stability, however, that gives Saadiah hope for the future. And her Washington experience made her more determined than ever to pursue a career that will help bring about change.