Public Service On Campus Connections

Capitol Hill Internship

By: Jennie Welch '11

    I would like to thank Marilyn Shull and the Career Development Center for organizing this event, and for all their work with the Capitol Hill Internship program, which was such an enlightening and rewarding experience for me. In addition, I would like to thank McAllister and Quinn for their vital support and for offering me such a wonderful internship opportunity.

    I had a very busy summer this year because I was fortunate enough to receive intern positions in two very different offices through the Capitol Hill Internship program. Even though I began my internships three days after my final exams in May and enjoyed about only a week of vacation before returning to school, this past summer was an incredibly fulfilling three months.

    I began my first position in the district office of Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen. I spoke to constituents, did filing, wrote to government officials, did filing, schmoozed at outreach events, did filing, and learned how to work the fax machine. I consoled constituents who had recently been foreclosed upon, I helped veterans get their proper healthcare access, I worked with legal immigrants to help them navigate the complex naturalization process, and I wrote angry letters to the Secretary of Defense concerning FEMA’s bad policies and their effects on my district. I enjoyed a unique opportunity to witness the constituent side of the Congressman’s responsibilities, to see which issues members of my district were interested in, to observe how the Congressman attempted to reach out to his constituents, and to watch how constituent concerns were voiced on the House floor. The Congressman always prioritized communication with his constituents; he made a point to have all of their concerns heard, recorded, and responded to, and he was constantly holding press conferences, various educational forums, and sending newsletters to update his voters on recent political and local developments. Like other politicians, the Congressman had to balance his work with constituents with his legislative duties, which included maintaining his goal of never missing a floor vote. In addition, the Congressman served as chairman of Democratic Party’s Congressional Campaign Committee, and was therefore responsible for helping Democratic candidates win individual House seats. This required him to travel around the country to campaign in various districts, and was therefore an extra strain on his political responsibilities as well as his personal life. I think the Congressman’s record speaks for itself on how successful he’s been at succeeding in these three different areas, and his recent ascension to the role of Assistant to the Speaker of the House adds to his list of achievements. My internship with the Congressman helped me understand the roles and conduct of a politician who is truly a public servant, someone who is a loyal member of his political party, an active participant in national politics, and a dedicated elected representative.

    My second internship opportunity was with Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski and opened my eyes to a completely different side of Hill politics. Rather than working in a Congressman’s district office and focusing on constituent issues, I commuted to Capitol Hill each morning to work under a Senator’s economic affairs advisor. The atmosphere in the Hart Senate office building was dramatically different from that of the district office or even that of the House buildings I had been in. When I first stepped into my new office building I thought I had gotten lost and accidently entered an art museum. The Hart Office Building’s entrance way, if you haven’t seen it, is a large auditorium with marble walls and a beautiful, 6-story sculpture. I was pretty awestruck, but I didn’t have much time to gape before I became a part of the constant motion that is the work culture on the Hill. Every day was electric, from walking with hundreds of other commuters to the Senate office buildings from Union Station, to passing by Barack Obama’s office every morning, to seeing political celebrities as they made their ways to various committee hearings. Even riding the small trains that connect the Senate buildings was an exciting experience. And of course there was the work; I interned under the Senator’s economic advisor, and so while I came in with only cursory knowledge of the economy, I left with a basic understanding of even the more complex issues - except for the credit derivatives market, no amount of research could ever help me understand that topic. I attended Senate committee hearings and observed the differences between these meetings and the House committee hearings I had attended in the past. I helped research legislative issues and worked with the economic advisor through the budgetary process. I worked on press conferences, met the Speaker of the House and Hillary Clinton, attended lectures by various political figures, and reserved a spot on the mall for our office softball team. Learning about the problems with our transportation system from Senator Kerry, watching Secretary Paulson discuss solutions to the mortgage crisis from a front-row seat, and accidently meeting Senator Schumer from New York after attempting to get into the Senators-only elevator were exciting experiences in themselves, but what was most invigorating was studying the carrier of the Senator for whom I worked, Senator Barbara Mikulski, born and raised in Baltimore Maryland, and the first Democratic woman Senator elected in her own right. I learned about Mikulski’s grass roots – her beginnings as a social worker in Baltimore and her dedication to bettering the lives of her constituents – and her strong values – which have been demonstrated all the way from her early protest days to her fierce campaign against Linda Chavez . What was most inspiring for this politically passionate young woman, about Mikulski’s story was the fact that she was the first Democratic woman elected in her own right, that she fought female stereotypes, resisted the efforts of her male colleagues and the media to insult and discriminate against her, and in doing so became a trailblazer and den mother to the seventeen current female Senators. Soon Senator Mikulski will be the longest-serving female Senator, a Senator who has led the way for not only female Senators but who has become an inspiration to young women everywhere.

    So, all in all, my conclusion is that my summer was very, very, very busy and incredibly rewarding. I learned too much to share with you all in five minutes, and many of those lessons were ones that cannot be expressed in words. I didn’t just memorize dates, or become informed on current events, or read Congressional Research Service documents – I found a passion for politics, inspiration in the two politicians I had the honor of working for, and an understanding of what public service truly is.