What do I bring to the table?

My personal contributions really began during my second week here, as the first week was mostly spent learning the ropes. At the time, there were only two interns. We would have to break up work on the assignments we were given, and we did so based on our skill-sets. The other intern was great at information organization and aesthetics, and I knew how to find the information we needed to include because of the knowledge I had gained during the week when I was the only intern. During our tasks, we were able to discuss our shared political views and learn from another. Several assignments would breeze by this way. When the other interns arrived, we stopped receiving collaborative assignments. However, the intern team was sent to view senate finance committee meetings at the Pocahontas building around the corner. I was able to identify key legislators to the others because I was required to memorize the names and faces of most of the senate when I was in the senate page program years ago.

I was also able to leverage my past experience with state government and Jepson internship classes on my individual tasks. One assignment required me to look up bills from the Legislative Information System (LIS) to include in an excel spreadsheet. I remember my jaw hitting the floor when I was given an assignment related to excel, but since I knew how to find bills and that excel was capable of alphabetizing information, I was well prepared to complete this task and others like it.

Finally, the social atmosphere is a place where I felt an opportunity to make a positive impact. The other interns were stiff and nervous when they started, a tall office building with well-dressed lawyers and lobbyists will do that to a person. I quickly helped acclimate them to the office culture with anecdotes and conversations that uncovered connections we might’ve already had to one another. The other interns have much to offer as well. Three of them have experience in Washington DC, and one of them recently worked for the House majority leader and served as a White House aid. One has past experience with a law firm in Richmond. Two of the interns are enrolled in graduate programs and are able to share lived experience in addition to application tips. The internship program requires all of us to share our unique experience in order to create a thriving office space, and I hope to be able to continue offering my knowledge and work ethic to the team.