Opinion> Hillary Clinton> Talking It Over 1998 08 26

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Talking It Over

Colin Powell, Henry Cisneros, Doris Kearns Goodwin — all well-known Americans with something in common. Each has served as a White House Fellow.

The White House Fellows program was created in 1964 out of President Lyndon Johnson's frustration that so many bright young people, just out of college, were disdainful of government service. He felt they were disconnected from their government and that they didn't understand the complexities of life in Washington. And he worried about who would accept the mantle of leadership from his generation.

One solution was the White House Fellowship, an opportunity for exceptional men and women from all over the country to learn about and participate in the process of governing.

Every September since then, a group of talented and eager young people has arrived in Washington for a year of fellowship, intellectual exchange and hard work. The Director of the program, Jackie Blumenthal, explains, "My responsibility is to give the Fellows a firsthand experience of governing and exposure to leadership at the highest levels of government."

Colin Powell was chosen to be a White House Fellow in 1972. In his autobiography, he writes, "What I learned about government as a White House Fellow was the key to opportunities that came my way." Gen. Powell, of course, went on to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then head of the nationwide volunteer service effort, America's Promise.

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, who was a 24-year-old constitutional law scholar when she was tapped to be a Fellow, attributes her passion for Presidential history to her year in Washington. "The experience of working with President Johnson in 1967 and 1968 had a huge impact on me," she remembers.

Alumni of the program have become leaders in many areas. Margaret McKeown of Seattle sits on the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Suzan Johnson Cook, the pastor of Mariner's Temple Baptist Church in New York City, serves on the President's Advisory Board on Race.

Others who have returned to Washington to serve include Assistant Secretary of State Julia Taft and Doris Meissner, Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Alumni who now count themselves among this country's business leaders include the Chairman of Boston's State Street Bank, the CEO of Tenneco and the head of Levi Strauss.

This year, for the first time, my office was lucky enough to be assigned a White House Fellow.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who at age 27 became the chief neurosurgical resident at the University of Michigan, worked in the White House Millennium Office. There, he spearheaded the Millennium Evenings at the White House, a series of lectures designed to engage citizens in lively and thought-provoking debate as we approach the new century.

These lectures have featured historian Bernard Bailyn, physicist Stephen Hawking and Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, and Sanjay has overseen every aspect of their production, including the organization of the first cybercast from the White House.

As he considers his experience in Washington, Sanjay says, "This year has taken me from the microscopic world of neurosurgery to a telescopic view of the world. It will likely broaden my life's horizons, both personally and professionally."

Although Fellows are assigned to many government agencies, including the Departments of Labor, Treasury and Commerce, several others have worked in the White House. Among those is Jon Jennings of Watertown, Mass., who came to the Office of Cabinet Affairs from the Boston Celtics, where he was an assistant coach.

Along with the late Celtics star Reggie Lewis, Jon had co-founded Team Harmony, an exciting group that brings young people together to promote understanding and respect for differences. At Jon's invitation, I attended recent Team Harmony rallies in Boston and Washington.

Cliff Skelton and Sean O'Connor, both of whom are Navy officers, worked in the White House as well, as did NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund lawyer Peter Rundlet and former United Nations Human Rights Officer Jamie Metzl.

In addition to offering a close-up view of how government functions, the White House Fellows office provides ongoing educational opportunities for the group. This year's class met with over 100 prominent Americans, including Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet Secretaries, senior White House officials, Members of Congress, military leaders, journalists, historians, business executives, as well as several foreign heads of state.

They also traveled, learning about the conditions and concerns that shape policy-making and problem solving. In recent years, Fellows have tutored New York City schoolchildren, fired weaponry at Fort Bragg's Special Forces training center and rose before dawn to work with cutters in the sugar-cane fields in southern Florida.

As we look forward to the arrival of a new group of White House Fellows in September, I want to thank this year's class for taking time off to serve and learn about this White House and their country.

If you're interested in the White House Fellows Program, you can call 1-202-395-4522 or visit the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov.

To find out more about Hillary Rodham Clinton and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.