Congressional Internship

Congressional Internship

Below it is an essay I wrote at the end of my internship

1. Describe your job responsibilities?

My job responsibilities changed daily. The first three weeks of the internship were in Congressman Ben Cardin's district office in Baltimore, Maryland. The supervisor at the district office immediately gave me research assignments. She explained to me that my goals during the first week should be to grasp and understand how the federal, state, and local governments differ. Reading the Constitution and researching current members of the three different levels of government were some of my first responsibilities. Once I was able to get that knowledge under my belt, I was able to focus on helping answer questions from different constituents, that being to respond to them based upon their requests. In order to respond to constituents I had to research their specific issues very closely and respond based upon Congressman Cardin's views. At the same time I had to use congressional lingo in order to answer the constituents’ questions because certain words can easily be taken out of context and get the congressmen in to trouble. When responding to constituents, it is important to be able to direct them to the right level of government which can address their issues. The constituent letters took many drafts and went through many staffers before it was looked over and finalized by the congressmen himself. If the congressman was very moved by a constituent’s letter he would address his staff to create a bill and memo. Typically the majority of all research is done by interns, so it is very important to organize new information in a simple manner for the staffers to grasp, so clearly, I had a lot of responsibility on my hands.

Among my other responsibilities to this internship were to attend several planned events for further education about politics. Every week there was an intern lecture series where different congressmen and senators spoke to all the interns on Capitol Hill. This was one of my favorite responsibilities and most educational experiences of the whole internship. Each congressman and senator had his own story and was able to share with us their current views and talk about the committees that they sit on. I was also responsible for attending district council meetings, committee hearings, and meetings with lobbyists when the congressmen could not attend.

I feel like I accomplished so many things throughout this incredible experience over my summer vacation. Most importantly I was able to gain an understanding of how the current government system works. With this new understanding I am now able to address any issue that is bothering me and I know who to go to in order to get my problems heard. I went to my Baltimore supervisor and told her about an issue that was bothering me about the current ADA handicap parking regulations. After many hours of research I was able to develop a solution to this issue. I made the right contacts with advocacy groups and scheduled meetings with the right senators and congressmen. After going to the different meetings I felt proficient and accomplished about pursuing this issue and was able to get a great response during those meetings.

Another accomplishment was appearing on television with Congressman Cardin and the two top stem cell scientists at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Before the stem cell bill was voted on, I was able to organize with the Congressman Cardin staff an interview with Fox, ABC, and CBS. The two scientists from Kennedy Krieger talked about the science behind stem cell research, Congressman Cardin talked about the political aspects, and I spoke on the human benefits which stem cell research possibly holds.

I felt a huge sense of accomplishment after every constituent letter I was able to respond to. Because of training on specific computer programs which the Capital Hill internship provided, I was able to really respond at a highly educated level. After completing many drafts I was able to bring my finalized letter to the staffers to be critiqued. It felt great to hear how well I did and made me feel like I had helped that constituent out with the specific issue.

The weaknesses that I needed to improve on were related to my disability; specifically, getting to meetings on time, researching on the computer and writing to constituents. Because Washington, DC is not so accessible it takes a long time to get to certain places for meetings. I was able to overcome this issue through the experience of learning to leave for a meeting 15 minutes before I would've if I were able-bodied. When it came to researching I had the skills but the problem I was faced with was putting all my research onto a paper. Because I do not have the use of my hands it sometimes meant I had to read through this same document many times. This got very frustrating but luckily I was able to get through it because my injury taught me about patience.

2. Describe each of your learning objectives?

The main reason why I sought this internship was because I had a lot of things that I would change about the current government system. My new wheelchair lifestyle opened my eyes to many aspects of wheelchair-bound individuals and specific restrictions within the current system. With this in mind I decided that I wanted to learn how changes are made in the government. After reading the Constitution and doing research on current members of government I learned about the three levels and branches of government. With an understanding of the executive, legislative and judiciary branches I now understand how the different levels of government works within the system. I can address my specific issues and pursue them in the right direction whether it be to the federal, state, or local government. I learned how to take the straighter line through politics. The only thing that hindered me was how much information I was asked to absorb, but with my supervisor quizzing me every day on who my current members of government and by giving me the Washington Post and asking me to direct each main topic to which branch and which level of government would take care of that issue, I certainly was able to remember the astounding amount of information thrown at me.

Another one of my learning objectives was to learn how to write to a constituent and direct them in the right path. After that, I had to learn how to research whatever issue the constituent brought up. I ended up receiving training with different computer programs that the congressional offices are on network with. These specific research software programs allow interns and staff members to quickly and accurately find great information and statistics. Once the research is done I learned how to respond to the constituents in a specific way that addresses the congressmen's views and does not get them in any trouble. Reading through past constituent letters and having my letters critiqued by the staff members I was able to strengthen my ability to respond accurately and effectively. Sometimes when I tried to word a constituent letters in a certain way it jeopardized the congressmen's constituent views. Of course these mistakes were edited! I had to focus on my word choice very closely and had to read over everything twice.

3. Analyze how your Co-op experience is relevant to your career goals and course of study?

My career goals are to make changes that help people live a more productive and happier life. I definitely see myself getting into politics in my 30s and 40s. This internship has definitely opened my eyes to what my life really could be like and what an impact I can truly make. After my accident I realized that my most powerful asset was my voice and my mind. These skills are crucial to being a successful politician. I've really been able to develop my public speaking skills since my injury and with this internship I have been able to watch closely how congressmen and senators speak to the public. In order to be more marketable as a politician I need to get the proper education and learn how to speak and address the public in a certain way. I either need to pursue law, government, or communications to be marketable in the political world.

4. Summarize what you learned in your work experience. How will this Co-op-Internship experience benefit you in your future professional plans?

I've learned so many things because of this experience. But without a doubt the ability to firsthand experience how a congressional office is run has allowed me to figure out whether or not I could see myself living this lifestyle. I learned how to write a constituent letter, schedule a meeting with congressmen and senators, how to get a bill passed, and how a congressional offices run. I definitely will be getting into politics later in life but without a doubt I'm going to be able to know how to pursue different issues that are bothering me.