 Taking him at his word, Angela uprooted her life and transferred to
Lincoln Christian College to pursue a degree in business
administration. Eight months later, the journey took her right back
to where she started: in D.C., working as in intern in the White
House."This is not my story," she relates. "There is absolutely
no reason why I should have (been hired for) that internship. I
don't have the background in politics that other interns did. It was
all about God preparing the way for me. I am aware now more than
ever that my life is not my own."
Watching the college junior light up as she describes her
internship experience, it's hard to believe that she was such a long
shot for the internship. She carries herself with a high degree of
professionalism, and it's easy to imagine her trading her Illinois
winter layers for a tailored business suit and walking the halls of
our nation's capitol. Her polished demeanor does not stifle the
passion she feels when she recounts her experience as a White House
intern.
Zirkelbach found that people in D.C. don't fit the pop culture
stereotypes of people thirsty for power. Instead, she met genuinely
good people who were passionate about their work.
In the White House, I found myself surrounded by people who spend
their daily lives in service to others," Zirkelbach said.
She believes that people in our nation’s capital understand the
concept of Psalms 103:15-16 better than most, even if they aren't
familiar with the Scripture. The psalmist stated, "As for man, his
days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the
wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no
more." With elections ensuring a steady stream of turnover in so
many positions, there is a sense in the White House of working for a
higher good, rather than to secure one's own legacy.
"We are hard-wired to need purpose," Zirkelbach said, and her
mentors in D.C. understood that they had chosen a life of service to
the people of this country, embracing that call wholeheartedly.
Zirkelbach admired the White House's welcoming environment, where
a great deal of effort went into making every guest feel comfortable
and honored. Her responsibilities as an intern revolved around
planning special events, from coordinating the guest list, sending
invitations and collecting RSVPs to instructing the guests on when
to arrive, where to park and where to go once they had arrived.
One of the challenges was to appear informed, professional and in
control from her first day on the job, in spite of the myriad of
dazzling sights at the White House. "Every picture has a purpose,"
she said. "The china dates back to George Washington. Every gift
given to the president is logged and kept in the White House."
Discipline and poise were required to remain focused on meeting her
guests' needs.
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One of the highlights of Zirkelbach's time at the White House was
witnessing the signing of
House Resolution 5501 into law. The bill is a reauthorization of
a sizable foreign aid package providing funds to fight HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria. When President Bush signed the bill, he
stated, "Of those to whom much is given, much is required."
This phrase was quoted by another U.S. president, John F.
Kennedy, and Zirkelbach recognized the principle from Luke 12:48.
Applying the principle personally, she said, was humbling.
"I wouldn't have had this opportunity if it hadn't been for my
mom staying up until 4 a.m. with me preparing my internship
paperwork," she said. "If Professor Gowin hadn't helped me prepare
my application and my resume, if Dean Diefendorf hadn't taken me to
D.C. for Week of E3 and answered all my questions ... God put the
right people in my path and opened doors at the right time. And I
just wonder what he requires from me in return."
The flame in Zirkelbach's
eyes hints that she is prepared to rise to any task required of her
in the future. She admits that she doesn't know right now what that looks like.
"I'd like to go back to D.C.," she said. "I don't know if
that will be in the White House or with an organization outside the
White House working for legislation. I used to want to flip the
pages ahead to find out how the book ends, but now I’m ready to let
the story unfold. After all, it's not my story. My life is not my
own."
[Text from file received from
Lincoln
Christian College and Seminary; By CANDRA L. LANDERS]
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