Andy Fisher is a TWC alumnus and former long-time U.S. Senate staffer. His four decades in communications, politics, and public affairs began with a single 10-week internship through The Washington Center. Decades later, he still calls that one summer the most pivotal decision of his career, proof of where one opportunity can lead.
Ask Andy Fisher where his career began, and he will not point to his first job title or his first byline. He points to a 10-week internship through The Washington Center.
Everything that happened in my adult life can be traced back to my Washington Center internship,” Andy says. “My first jobs, the totality of my career, the connections I made and eventually meeting my wife and having a wonderful family. Nothing else comes close to being so pivotal in my life.”
Raised on a dairy farm in Chautauqua County, New York, Andy went on to become one of Washington's most trusted communications strategists, a source to nearly every major national and international news organization, and a behind-the-scenes force in politics, policy, and public affairs for more than 40 years.
He spent 25 years with U.S. Senator Dick Lugar, rising to communications director and senior advisor while handling communications for both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. His work spanned an unusually broad range of issues, including agriculture, nutrition, health care, energy, conservation, national security, international relations, and nuclear nonproliferation.
Most recently, Andy spent more than 10 years at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where as senior director of communications he led a team of 33 professionals directing communications for more than 20 U.S. and international conservation projects. Along the way, he was the founding executive director of the National Forest Foundation, owned and published a weekly newspaper, and counseled leaders across business, politics, advocacy, and media. Although retired, Andy continues to write as an author.
A Conversation with Andy Fisher
What skills do you gain at TWC's Academic Internship Program?
The most important results of my internship through TWC were the connections I made. They led to being hired after college and gave me the foundation of political and media contacts that helped me succeed. I learned to be comfortable around famous people. And I realized I needed to improve my writing, so I focused on that in the classes I took after the internship.
Is a TWC internship worth it?
Everything in my adult life traces back to TWC's Academic Internship Program: my first jobs, my whole career, the connections I made, and eventually meeting my wife and having a wonderful family. Nothing else comes close to being so pivotal.
Is an unpaid internship worth it?
My internship was not paid, but I earned 12 college credit hours in my major toward my degree. The internship was far more valuable than the courses I was taking, and it was essentially the equivalent of paying for an extra semester.
How can an internship change your career path?
Before the internship, I did not know you could have a career in politics besides being a candidate or an elected official. My eyes were opened to being a staffer, which suited me much better.
Why does mentorship matter in an internship?
I had a wonderful boss who became a mentor and helped me navigate Washington at the very beginning of my career. I did a lot of basic work, such as filing, photocopying, and running errands, without complaint. In return, he shared valuable guidance that set me on a successful career path.
When is the best time to do an internship in college?
For me, I feel that I made the right call to do it the summer before my junior year. It helped focus the rest of my academic work.
Should I do an internship in Washington, D.C. through The Washington Center?
Do not hesitate. Do it. An internship is definitely more important than the classroom.
Is a Washington Center internship still worth it, decades later? Andy's answer is unequivocal: everything traces back to it. TWC's internship programs place college students inside Washington, D.C. for a full term of real work, mentorship, and the professional connections that, in Andy's case, shaped an entire career. One relationship built during an internship can open a door that a classroom never will.
“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
Andy has strong views on what actually prepares a student for a career, and it is not the transcript. He distilled them into seven lessons for making an internship count.
Read Andy's seven lessons for making an internship count.
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