Students and faculty travel from around the world to attend these seminars. What does it feel like to help create an environment where meaningful conversations and friendships can develop? What role do the interns play in making that possible?
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I\u2019m far from the first person to observe that my generation can often mistake the large quantities of digital information at our disposal for enrichment. In actuality, even the most introspective short-form content that could populate a lazy summer afternoon is more of a distraction than anything else. For as much as the internet can provide, well-crafted lectures from experts are still largely confined behind the gates of academia. Generally people only have the opportunity to visit one or two postsecondary schools in their life, often in one country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So being part of a seminar which crashes through that barrier was rewarding in a way that screens and algorithms cannot replicate. Professors and students from across many fields and many countries spent a week of their free time pursuing a greater understanding of classical liberalism, and it was up to us to make it all happen. It was also important for us to learn alongside our guests whenever possible. For our guests, this is a very special opportunity, and nothing from a scheduling delay to a heat wave could get in the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think that the most representative experience for this was the time that my fellow interns hauled a large number of free books into the dorm where our guests would stay. On the way, my fellow interns and I predicted that very few would be taken and that we would have to haul them all back in a week\u2019s time. After all, many students did not have a lot of bag space, they may never get around to actually browsing the table, and many young people just don\u2019t even like to read at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To our surprise, students immediately took an interest in the books, and by the end of the first day, over a quarter of what had been set out was gone. That alone was a pleasant surprise, but it got better. As the week progressed, many professors referenced some of the books that were still on the pile, casually recommending that curious students pursue that author\u2019s work if they are more curious. I\u2019ve seen many professor recommendations like that just hang in the air, unfulfilled. Yet when I passed that table later on, those books had been taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the end of the seminar, at least one of every book had been taken, and I\u2019d estimate that the pile which remained was a mere 40% of what had been put out. Again, we\u2019d assumed that nobody would take anything. This just goes to show that the students who came to this seminar were willing to seize every opportunity we offered them to learn. Even if something felt like it would be abandoned or unappreciated, when their time came, they were not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So if the experience of an intern is that of a provider, and nothing you provide will go to waste, doesn\u2019t that make you want to provide nonstop? It sure did for me. Every time I had an opportunity to enhance the experience for our guests, I was excited to take it. When it comes to providing opportunities (especially of the educational variety), so much time with the average joe of my generation tends to stir up my skepticism. If I make this happen, will people even care? Or will they just retreat into their phones? Will they let the device pander their mind rather than the professor challenge it? I never had that worry at the seminar though. Every student I saw went the extra mile. It was a convincing case study for the argument that the next era of finance, business, economics, and academia is in good hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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