The UNT Division of Student Affairs hosted the North Texas in D.C. (NTDC) Internship Celebration on April 14 in the University Union, where past and present participants came together to celebrate the NTDC Program’s success.

The NTDC Program was established in 2003 by Associate Vice Chancellor for Government Relations & Chief Policy Operations Officer Rey Rodriguez and Vice President for Student Affairs Elizabeth With in order to give UNT students the opportunity to connect with distinguished internships in our nation’s capital. The program was later expanded to include opportunities in Austin, Texas, during legislative sessions.

Since its creation, the program has provided for more than 200 UNT students who have interned for various government entities. Some students have used their experience to launch a career of their own while others have benefited by applying their experience to law school or graduate school.

During the celebration, two NTDC alumnae, Dustee Tucker Jenkins (’01), and Sarah Nowery (’05, ’07), were recognized with Trailblazer Awards. These two “Trailblazers” helped launch the NTDC Program and paved the way for past, present and future UNT students.

Dustee Tucker Jenkins is a seasoned leader with almost two decades of experience in communications, media relations, executive positioning, government affairs, community relations and reputation management. She currently serves as the global head of communications for the world’s largest music streaming service, Spotify, where she leads all external communications, public affairs, media relations and enterprise-wide internal communications across more than 65 countries and territories.

Sarah Nowery, communications officer for Samaritan’s Purse – Iraq, has more than 10 years of experience working in relief and development communities, and has worked on more than 22 responses to global emergencies resulting from wars, famines, complex crises and natural disasters.

The 2017 NTDC interns also were recognized and included: