https://langevin.house.gov/

Office of Congressman Jim Langevin

Congressional Intern

June - August 2021 • Warwick, RI

What I liked

I loved being in the environment of a busy congressional office, and the experience was made all the more special because I was interning for the congressional representative of my district! This meant that when I received calls from constituents and drafted grants for funding, I was making a change right where I lived. I went into the experience hoping to learn more about how a local office supports the Representative and how they work with the DC office, and I definitely gained an understanding of how the local office is truly the heart of the entire chain - that's where we learn about the constituents' issues and how to solve them.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been able to work on a big project while I was there, but this was only because I had read in the internship descriptions of other students' experiences as a congressional intern that they had created a project - it wasn't something that was promised in this internship. It was for the best that I didn't create my own independent project, however, because I instead spent all my time working on actual documents that would actually help the office.

Advice

Be willing to do any kind of writing, anytime! I wrote from a ton of different lenses during my time as a Congressional intern, and I quickly learned that lots of different approaches are needed when writing different items. I would switch from a friendly tone when penning a thank-you note to an event organizer, to a persuasive tone when writing a grant request. It's definitely necessary to sharpen one's rhetoric skills before becoming a Congressional intern.
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Intern

May - August 2018 • Washington, DC

What I liked

The most rewarding aspect of this internship was the freedom afforded to me by my office to attend multiple congressional briefings on policy issues that interested me. I was then able to follow up those briefings up with research on the legislative issue, and then compile my notes and research into memos that were submitted to Legislative Assistants in the office. I was able to dive into several policy areas that interest me, and I felt like the research I did was a meaningful contribution to the office's work in policy areas that I care about.

What I wish was different

Advice

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