A dozen of the nation’s best and brightest Black male college sophomores were selected this year to participate in the Institute for Responsible Citizenship’s Washington Program.
That small list includes Jon Sibley III, a 2023 graduate of Galesburg High School.
Sibley is now studying political science at Boston University, where he co-founded a club serving generational Black American students and is part of the Sankofa Scholars Undergraduate Research Program.
Last semester, Sibley interned in the Boston office of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
“I did a lot of talking on the phone with different constituents. There were times we would show up to events where the senator was speaking,” Sibley said. “We would take very lengthy policy complaints from constituents and summarize them into actionable insights to give to the Senator to then influence some of her policy decisions.”
Sibley said the internship showed him the good and the bad of government, and it cemented his desire to serve marginalized communities and those with fewer resources, as he pursues a career in law or government.
“Coming up in a very small town like Galesburg and then being in the vibrant, diverse, highly populated city of Boston has shown me a lot. I’m kind of realizing some of the resources that weren't available to me as a kid that some of my peers have had. A lot of them have been interning in different places since their freshman year in high school,” Sibley said. “So I know I want the scope of my work to just be providing some sort of representation for those communities, just advocating for them and ultimately giving back with the different experiences I've had along my journey.”
The next stop on that journey for Sibley is Washington, D.C.
For the next two summers, he’ll be doing high-level internships there through the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. The Washington Program also offers comprehensive professional development and academic seminars.
“They do things like golf lessons, etiquette classes. We learn about the economic and political foundations of the country. It's just a well-rounded experience,” Sibley said. “I knew being surrounded in a brotherhood with other like-minded individuals that are also seeking to pursue careers in civil service would be an invaluable opportunity.”
Through the program, Sibley will have private briefings with some of the most prominent public and private sector leaders in the country.
In past years, participants have met with Supreme Court justices and the likes of late civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis.
Sibley will also be in Washington during interesting times.
He said it’s a great but wild time to be studying political science.
“It's very interesting to see very well-esteemed research professors who have been involved in politics for a numerous amount of years and even they're surprised by the recent things that have been going on,” he said.
Sibley sees the current political climate as a blessing and a curse. While there’s a lot of uncertainty, he says there’s also a lot to be learned from this era.
The Galesburg native will have a front-row seat for that.
“A lot of these decisions that the President is making will require very prompt and well thought-out solutions. So I see this experience with the Institute as a time to prepare to be one of those people that is able to make those swift and prompt reactions,” Sibley said.
Sibley credits the influence of family for his successful path thus far. He said being involved with Knox County Teen Court also influenced him.
While in high school, he served as a defense attorney and prosecutor for the juvenile diversion program that was the first of its kind in Illinois.
He said exposure to the inner workings of the criminal justice system planted the seed for his future goals of working in law or government.
“It kind of showed me how important the law is and the effect you can have on the system. So I found that political science would be the best way for me to pursue a career in law,” Sibley said.
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