Gabriella ’13 reports on her 2015 summer internship experience.
This summer I was lucky enough to intern for Congresswoman Niki Tsongas [D-MA-3] in the United States Capitol. I worked for the Congresswoman last summer in her district office in Lowell, MA. While there I had the opportunity to help with constituent casework, assisting residents of the district with issues related to federal government agencies ranging from delayed veterans benefits to immigration difficulties. I also conducted economic research on, for example, natural gas prices in the district. I was so inspired last summer by the work that the office did and by the Congresswoman herself that I decided to apply to the Washington, D.C. office for the summer of 2015.
I worked as an intern through June and July, experiencing the legislative process up close in a way that no textbook or professor can similarly convey. I learned an incredible amount about the practical realities of creating and passing legislation, and I was also able to participate in that process.
As an intern, I, of course, answered phones in the office. While perhaps mundane, the task of listening to, logging, and passing on constituents’ concerns and opinions is a crucial one that helps the Congresswoman keep in touch with and represent Massachusetts residents. This summer, many of the calls to the office concerned the Iran nuclear deal and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Similarly, I helped write constituent correspondence in order to ensure that calls and other forms of inquiry received responses. I also enjoyed giving tours of the Capitol to visiting constituents. However, I did not merely do administrative work. I also wrote recommendation memos to the Congresswoman about votes and cosponsorships on legislation tackling healthcare to gun control to deceptive advertising. Such work helped me learn how to closely analyze legislation as well as how to understand the considerations of legislators when supporting or opposing bills. Additionally, I attended and reported on congressional briefings, informative meetings held by members of Congress or outside parties. For example, I went to a briefing on the Pope’s most recent encyclical on the environment held by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and attended a briefing on family detention centers held by various Representatives, academics, and immigrants. Lastly, I had the amazing opportunity to hear Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg speak in the Supreme Court courtroom.
As I finish my last two years in college, studying Political Science, Human Rights, and Hispanic Studies, I am sure that this experience as an intern will inform and enhance my studies. In all of my principal subjects, an understanding of legislation, its passage, and politics in general is critical. Indeed, as I begin my career, I know that my time working on “the Hill” will be invaluable. Ultimately, I want to work in the political sphere because I am passionate about social justice and equality, and I believe that one of the most important avenues to achieving these goals is governmental action.
I had an amazing summer. Thank you so much Middlesex for helping make it possible.