Nicole Johnson interned at CBLPI in 2015 – a year she remembers as pivotal in finding her path.
My internship at CBLPI was a huge personal and professional transformation for me. I had always had a deep love for politics, especially speaking about my conservative values in front of my high school teachers and peers. However, I envisioned myself playing professional soccer after graduating from college.
I was recruited to play soccer at the University of Virginia and soccer was my focus my first year. After my first year on the team, I realized that I was missing out on other opportunities at UVA, so I decided to no longer play on the varsity team. After my second year of college (first year not playing soccer), I interned with CBLPI.
My internship was during a time when I was still trying to find my path. There could not have been a better organization and environment for me to work in. Reflecting on my internship with CBLPI, I can point to that summer and say that is the summer I matured the most as a person and young professional. I had true work responsibilities, gained confidence in myself and my conservative beliefs, and learned something new each and every day.
Nicole, second from left, with 2015 Summer Interns
The following summer she interned with a business consulting firm, where she wrote policy summaries on proposed legislation and gained experience at the intersection between policy and public perception. In 2017, she earned her B.A. in Foreign Affairs, History minor from the University of Virginia.
Today Nicole is a young professional well on her career path. A consultant with International Business Machines (IBM), she works cross-functionally and collaboratively with government and corporate leaders to align human capital, IT and shared services investments to achieve strategic goals and drive business value.
She also stays involved with CBLPI.
CBLPI gave me the foundation to become the confident, mature, young professional I am today. CBLPI provided me with the skill set to be a true leader. I am proud to have worked with an organization with such noble purposes – to prepare young women for effective leadership and to promote leading conservative women – and plan to stay involved with CBLPI and its mission for decades to come!
We’re proud to have worked with you, too, Nicole!