
APU’s Will Bean is among college students chosen for a nationally competitive internship through American University in Washington, D.C. He is a pre-law student who enrolled in APU after completing the Early Honors program in 2010.
Liberal Studies major Will Bean has been chosen for an American University internship program aimed at fostering intercultural expertise among young professionals.
Bean is a pre-law student who enrolled as an APU undergraduate after completing APU’s Early Honors program in 2010.
As a summer intern in American University’s Washington Internships for Native Students, Bean was selected to work with the legal department of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., a Barrow-based Native corporation and among the state’s largest Alaskan-owned companies.
Plans called for Bean to take part in contract comparisons for ASRC in Washington, D.C. The project complements an Anchorage-based internship Bean completed with ASRC Energy Services.
“I’m so excited about the WINS program,” Bean said. “It’s an absolutely wonderful internship for developing my professional skills.” Bean said he’s looking forward to exploring the nation’s capitol, a city he first visited as a Bartlett High student on a school trip to the Obama inauguration.
Dr. Esther Beth Sullivan, chairperson of APU’s Liberal Studies Department, said the internship is a perfect fit for a pre-law student like Bean.
“WINS focuses on experiential learning through academic-based internships,” Sullivan said. “Real-world projects like the one Will is pursuing are a great extension of APU’s active learning approach.”
Begun in 1994, Washington Internships for Native Studies draws on Washington, D.C., as a “learning laboratory” while emphasizing American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian cultures. Goals include developing leaders in service to Native communities and the world.