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By Sabrina LaBold, Justice and Legal Thought College Park Scholar
This internship paralleled well with the coursework of Justice and Legal Thought, as I gained a deeper understanding of the social injustices that face this country and how the legislative system can play a role in addressing those issues.
During Spring 2021, I interned in the Washington D.C. office of Maryland 5th district’s representative, Congressman Steny Hoyer. Within this internship, I was able to experience the legislative side of the office as well as how it deals with local constituent concerns. My main responsibility was to communicate with constituents of the 5th district as well as non-constituents who called to express their legislative concerns. Constituents also called in regard to federal agency concerns, such as unemployment or social security, which I would then flag these calls to the relevant caseworker. By doing so I was helping these people with real life issues, so in the long run they are getting what they deserve from the federal government. I also participated in press clip work, where I compiled local and national news in order to keep the staffers and Congressman Hoyer aware of relevant events.
It was great to be able to experience the inner workings of a House of Representative Office as well as the federal government in general. I learned a lot about what goes on behind an office door and how the staffers work to support Congressman Hoyer. It would have been amazing to receive in person experience throughout this internship, however, I still appreciated all the work I was doing and how significant my work was even though it was virtual. I provided the office assistance in transferring important phone calls from constituents and non-constituents in order to keep the office running smoothly and so messages were not missed.
This internship paralleled well with the coursework of Justice and Legal Thought, as I gained a deeper understanding of the social injustices that face this country and how the legislative system can play a role in addressing those issues. While this experience did emphasize the issues that constituents of Maryland’s 5th district were facing, citizens from all over the country reached out to make their opinions heard.
This experience was amazing and memorable, and I am so grateful that I was able to learn and develop professional skills throughout. A lot happens within a Capitol Hill office, and it was great being a vital part of it. There is so much to be learned and experienced from this internship, and I think anyone who has interests in the federal government and Congress will appreciate this time as much as I did.
I read your poster because it was an intership with a congressman, which is super amazing. I learned about how congressional offices get their news from and what their interns typically do. Did you ever meet Hoyer and other congress people?
This project stood out to me because interning for a congressman is no small feat and I wanted to learn more about the job. I learned that some of the responsibilities include answering calls from constituents and participating in press clip activities. Since it was a virtual internship, I was wondering if you ever got to meet Congressman Hoyer.
Hey Sabrina,
I thought this was interesting because of how you got to work with a congressman. I learned about how much this internship impacted you. What kind of environmental policy do you wish or foresee yourself working on?
Hi Sabrina. I was interested in taking a look at your poster because I wanted to learn what it is like to work for a Congressman. I learned that there seemed to be less paperwork than I originally thought there would be. Instead, it sounded like your main duty was answering calls. What did you do when you weren't answering calls?
Hi Sabrina,
I was drawn to your project because I found it really impressive that you gained experience interning on Capitol Hill and had such a big responsibility! It was really interesting learning about how your role helped others and helped you specifically, your communication skills. Were there any aspects of the internship that you didn't enjoy as much or found particularly difficult?