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by Adele Williams & M. B. Miller

Pippa Passes, KY — Alice Lloyd senior China Riddle has been named one of the recipients of the Kentucky Society of Washington’s prestigious Henry Clay Internships in Public Policy for the summer of 2013. 

The internship, which is awarded to only two students from Kentucky colleges and universities each year, requires the student to live in Washington, D.C. for six to eight weeks as they serve in an office of a member of the Kentucky congressional delegation or an office of the executive branch.  The Kentucky Society, a social organization that promotes goodwill, fellowship, and lasting relations among Kentuckians in the greater Metropolitan Washington area, selects only those students who demonstrate superior academic achievements and intellectual development for their internships.

“I never dreamed of being honored with such a respected award,” said Riddle, an English and Business Administration double major with an emphasis in Business Law.  “I felt like it was a shot in the dark, but I put a lot of hard work into my application.”

She recalls the entire process as being “intense,” but after choosing forty applicants, the Society picked only ten students to interview, one of which was Riddle.  The interviews were conducted by Society members Bonnie Tanner, Leona Powers, and Pam Taylor, along with two former interns.  Riddle was a unanimous selection to receive the scholarship.

“I had originally planned to apply for this internship in 2011 after working in Frankfort,” Riddle said, recalling her experiences as an aide to Senator Ray Jones.  “I decided instead to study abroad in Costa Rica where I worked for the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation as a micro-business intern.”

Riddle used her time in Costa Rica to help the Sullivan Foundation design a socially responsible business plan to launch an ecotourism industry.  She also instructed non-public school students in classes where she taught the English language, basic business skills, and basic math and accounting skills.

“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Riddle vows, “but it was the most rewarding, too.”

Now, she will take her considerable wealth of talents to Washington, D.C. and, once again, proudly represent Alice Lloyd College.

“I am extremely honored to serve as a Henry Clay Intern in our nation’s capital,” she said.  “I’m excited to apply the knowledge I’ve gained from Alice Lloyd in an off-campus setting and to show how the school develops its students into successful young adults who can achieve whatever they set their minds to.”

Riddle plans to attend law school after graduating from ALC, and she also maintains an interest in working in politics, potentially as a legal counselor. 

“I want to travel the world,” she added, almost as an afterthought, “in order to broaden my horizons.”

There is no reason to doubt that she will.  For her, the world is wide open and waiting.