University of San Diego Grad Sophia Vogt from Aptos Interns in White House

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SAN DIEGO, CA (01/25/2012)(readMedia)-- University of San Diego graduate Sophia Vogt of Aptos recently completed an internship in the White House.

Vogt worked from September to December of 2011 in the Office of Presidential Correspondence where her duties focused on identifying potential casework for constituents who write the President and processing responses from federal agencies to constituents.

"An integral part of the internship was to engage in service projects, ranging from Food Banks to local high schools, where we served to better the Washington, D.C. community," said Vogt.

She and her fellow interns also had the opportunity to meet with President Barack Obama and other high-level members of the administration. Obama "spoke to us about leadership, striving to become the best versions of ourselves, making sure we do something that has meaning for us and staying optimistic for the future."

The interns also had the opportunity to attend the State Arrival Ceremony for the President of South Korea, where they watched the First Family welcome President Lee Myung-bak. They also met with First Lady Michelle Obama and White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett. Vogt, whose interests have since evolved into earning a law degree and using it toward serving people in need, said another big highlight was meeting U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder during the last days of her internship.

"The internship benefitted me in that I was given a clear picture of how the Executive Office of the President functions. I had always been curious as to how business operates behind the powerful walls of the White House."

Vogt, who majored in international relations and graduated in 2009, applied online for the White House Internship Program. She was invited to an interview and found out she had been selected a few months later while she was abroad in Argentina.

The University of San Diego is a Catholic institution of higher learning chartered in 1949; the school enrolls some 7,800 undergraduate and graduate students and is known for its commitment to teaching, the liberal arts, the formation of values and community service. The fall 2007 establishment of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies brings the University's total number of schools and colleges to six. Other academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of Business Administration, Leadership and Education Sciences, Law and Nursing and Health Sciences.