Now, Michlitsch is working in Washington, D.C., as an intern with the Senate Banking Committee. The Webster native said she never dreamed she would get such an opportunity, and she would recommend the once-in-a-lifetime experience to other students.

 “Whether or not the big city is for you, the experience that you get is worth it,” said Michlitsch, 23.

 Michlitsch, who is double majoring in accounting and banking and financial services, started her internship in early January. She works for Sen. Tim Johnson,  D-S.D., within the banking committee’s office in the one of the Senate buildings.

 The internship was something Stan Vinson, NSU banking and financial services professor, encouraged Michlitsch to do. So she took the opportunity. Vinson said two other past NSU students have done the same internship, and he hopes there will be more.

 Michlitsch is the only student from NSU to be selected for the internship this semester, and Vinson said she is doing a great job.

 Michlitsch said she is very interested in internal regulation within a bank. She said it’s neat to be in D.C. seeing what goes into the regulations that she will be helping a bank comply with someday.

 Michlitsch said she came to Northern because of the quality of the business program and because it was close to home.

 “It was the perfect fit for me at the time,” she said. “It still is.”

 Before heading out to D.C., she had never been on an airplane.

 “Walking in the airport was the hardest part just because I was there alone,” said Michlitsch, who flew out of Minneapolis.

 But she met a very nice couple on the plane who helped her a lot. Once she got to D.C., it was pretty simple because there were plenty means of transportation to get where she needed to be.

 Right now Michlitsch is living in essentially a suburb, so her commute is very long – she typically takes a bus and two trains to get to and from work. When she leaves work, it’s often too late for a bus ride, so she must walk 30 minutes from the train to home. She also has to wait longer for trains in the evening, so her travel time to get home is longer than when she commuted to NSU from Webster her freshman year. In February, however, Michlitsch will be moving to housing much closer to work.  

 Being on her own without a car, it’s been a little more difficult to explore D.C.

 “The hardest part is not getting in my car every day and just driving where I need to be,” she said.

 But she has gotten to most of the Smithsonian museums, and she’s hoping to connect with a family friend who lives in the area and can act as a tour guide. On her last weekend in D.C. before her internship ends in early March, she’s planning a bus trip to New York City.

 Vinson said experiences like those are just as valuable as the actual work done in the senator’s office. For instance, he said, Michlitsch got a VIP tour of the Library of Congress, which included the rare books room and an opportunity to see the Lincoln Bible.

“These are often once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that affect you for life,” he said.

Michlitsch will graduate in May, the same month her mom, Candyce, will graduate from Lake Area Technical School in Watertown. Michlitsch’s sister Jennifer is in her first year at Northern, and her sister Heather is in high school in Webster.

 Although Michlitsch is valuing her D.C. internship experience, she plans to stay closer to home after graduation. She said she wants to work in the banking industry in the Aberdeen area.

 “I really want to stay there,” she said. “That’s where I want to be. This has confirmed that for me.”