Rhodes student Margaret Wakefield ’26 has been accepted into the Academy for Civic Education and Democracy held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She is a political science major with a minor in international studies.
This is the second year that the George Washington University College of Professional Studies and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, which is a nonpartisan organization, convened a cohort in June for the eight-week immersive program.
The ACED admissions team seeks students who are engaged on campus, interested in learning to work across differences, and have a desire to hone their leadership skills and expand their potential. Participants take an accredited course, engage with key stakeholders from various sectors, and complete an internship.
As an ACED participant, Wakefield is serving as a policy intern for the Afterschool Alliance in Washington, D.C., utilizing databases to analyze district spending on afterschool initiatives, cataloging funding decisions and expenditures related to afterschool programs, conducting interviews with district leaders and program directors, and writing and publishing blog posts.
Wakefield has previously worked as an intern for the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office in Memphis and as a governmental relations intern for the Alabama Trails Foundation in Anniston, AL. In addition, she has gained hands-on experience in political strategy and policy development working on various political campaigns.
On campus, Wakefield is a member of the women’s soccer team and has held leadership roles in the Tri Delta sorority and in honor societies. She plans to pursue a career in law.