When an internship leads to a full-time government position!

After interning with the House Committee on Agriculture, Patrick Henry College senior Dale Freier III was offered a full-time job working under presidential appointee, Secretary Scott Turner,  at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Dale first came to PHC to study American Politics and Policy, hoping to eventually go into law. Then, God changed his direction.

After interning at a conservative think tank during his sophomore year, he changed his trajectory, feeling much more called towards policy-making.

Though his family grew up traveling the world for military and missions work,  they settled in upstate New York during Dale’s high school years,  where they own a grass-fed beef and dairy farm.

With PHC located only an hour from Washington, D.C., Dale dreamed of interning on The Hill. During his senior year, he applied for an internship with the House Committee on Agriculture and received an offer toward the end of the fall semester. 

"The House Committee on Agriculture was the perfect combination for my agricultural background and my interest in policy,”  Dale said.

Dale approached his time with the Committee as an opportunity to learn the practical inner workings of the government. “I wanted to learn as much as I could about how policy is made in committee and the general functions and procedures of Congress,” he recalled.

At first, it felt like “drinking from a fire hose.” But Dale knew this was where God had called him to be.

Dale’s direction suddenly shifted again when the Department of Housing and Urban Development staff reached out to offer him a full-time position.

Currently, Dale works full-time in the Office of the Secretary under presidential appointee Scott Turner.

Dale was surprised by and thankful for the prospect of a full-time job as a senior in college. He felt adequately equipped by his PHC education: “I am super blessed and thankful to be working in the federal government and incorporating my education into my work. I am putting into practice what PHC has taught me about the good, true, and beautiful,  as well as policy. 

Dale believes his attention to detail, quick responses, and faithfulness in the little things helped him stand out during his internship.

He had three pieces of advice for students seeking similar positions.

First, he encouraged them to make as many genuine and good-faith connections as possible. “You never know what is going to happen down the road. You never know who is going to be working where, and you never know how you can fit into their lives,” Dale said.

Second, he advised them not to consider any task as beneath them. “This will make you stand out," he said.

Finally, he noted that students should look for ways to make their skills valuable to the team, “even if it’s small.”

While he is not sure exactly what his future looks like after college, Dale appreciates his current position and what his office stands for. He said, “I really enjoy what I am doing now, working in the office of Secretary Scott Turner. The team at HUD is very passionate and pursues excellence, and I am proud to be a part of it.”

*Dale Freier is not a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This interview is not an endorsement of Patrick Henry College by the Department and cannot be used for solicitations of any kind.

 Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.