How does a college student build the confidence and independence to tackle life after college? Students build these skills in a multitude of ways, but for Justice Jama, it was participating in the Washington Program in National Issues (WPNI) during his senior year at Kent State University.
WPNI has been bridging the gap from college to the labor market for Kent State students for 50 years. WPNI is a 15-week academic program offered to a select group of Kent State University juniors and seniors across academic disciplines who are interested in everything from politics and public policy to education or even science and technology.
Jama graduated from Kent State in 2022 and is now a first-year law student at Indiana University. He attributes his improved confidence and ability to adapt to new situations to his experiences in WPNI.
In 2018, Jama came to Kent State to study political science and business. His favorite class during his time here was Introduction to Accounting. Jama says while some people find numbers to be boring, he found the class fascinating. As a student, he was involved in the pre-law club and was an active member of the ultimate frisbee club.
Jama chose Kent State because it was a good school that was far enough away from home to feel independent, but still gave him the option to easily go home when he needed to. “I stayed because it’s just a great time,” Jama said. “It’s a great campus, and the people are always nice.”
As his senior year approached, Jama chose to expand his horizons by participating in WPNI in the spring of 2022. As part of the program, he served as a research intern at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in Washington, D.C. In this role, Jama recorded state tax expenditures and learned research tactics and how to manage tax expenditure information.
This was the first time Jama had ever moved to a city. He said WPNI quickly developed his independence and networking skills while also teaching him how to be a young adult living on his own in a large city.
“I always told myself I would never live in a big city, I’ve always been a small-town guy. But, if you get cramped into an apartment with five other guys in Arlington and you have to learn how to take the metro and you’re always around people, it changes,” Jama said. “Now I want to work in a big market. You couldn’t have told me that four years ago. I’m more open to options on where I could end up with my life.”
Like many WPNI alumni, Jama says the program is so much more than just an internship. Students in the program attend networking events with WPNI alumni and professionals across multiple disciplines in the Washington, D.C., area. They also partake in a public policy seminar with WPNI Program Director Mark Cassell, Ph.D. Through all of this students grow and learn not only about public policy and national politics, they also learn about themselves.
“It’s not even just an academic experience, it’s also a professional experience. None of us had ever lived in a city before, or maybe even left the state. So it was an academic, social and professional experience for all of us,” Jama said.
Jama always knew he wanted to attend law school, but WPNI helped influence and inform his decision. The experience provided Jama with a network of alumni and professors to talk with about the process of applying to law school. It also gave him an academic space to study for the LSAT in his last semester of college.
Jama’s favorite memories from the program all involve fellow members of WPNI. He recalls one weekend when a group of students spontaneously drove to Virginia Beach together for a weekend. Jama still stays in close contact with the other alumni of WPNI and believes WPNI is built on community and creates bonds that last a lifetime.
Today, while busy in law school, Jama tries to stay connected to his fellow Kent State and WPNI alumni through group texts and meet-ups whenever possible. Jama recently visited campus to attend the March Madness game and to visit his friends in the ultimate frisbee club.
After graduating from law school, Jama plans to move back to the Ohio area and pursue a career in corporate law.
Learn more about the Washington Program in National Issues.
Find more about the Department of Political Science at Kent State.