Whoa--the festival is only a few weeks out!  Time is flying!  There’s still so much that the Participant Staff needs to get done.  We are processing paperwork from nearly 800 participants--this keeps us interns busy with data entry work.  This week, flights are being booked.  Everyone is working at 150% to get all the details finalized in time.  I have also been working on compiling materials for the participant information packets, such as finding good folding maps of D.C., updating lists of attractions to see on the down days, identifying amenities near the hotel, and creating fliers for helpful apps to use and for alternative transportation in and around D.C.   I’m really looking forward to getting to know the participants much better when they arrive, as right now I only know them by their allergies and food requests!  Being in college myself, it will be pretty neat meeting college students from all over the country coming in for the Campus and Community program.   I will also enjoy meeting the international visitors we’ll be receiving from places like Cameroon, South Africa, Venezuela, and Azerbaijan!

Carly Boucher is an intern working with the Festival Participant Staff. She is a rising senior at the University of Mary Washington and is studying English and History.