"But Nobody Told Me That?" A Senate Intern Guide

“But Nobody Told Me That?”- A Senate Intern Guide

By Averi Townsend
Illustrated by Snapchat

 

1.     Everyone knows everyone.

The Senate is often compared to a high school. While you’re interning in the Senate, you will inevitably hear staffers and other interns share stories about other offices, staffers, or the members themselves. As an intern, it’s extremely important that you remain positive. You never want to find yourself in the awkward situation where someone in the room used to work in the office that someone else is disparaging. It’s important to remember that you are trying to make the best possible impression, and that includes recognizing that as an intern, it is not your place to engage in these conversations.

 

Mountains & Clouds in the Hart Senate Office Building *Fun Fact the "clouds" were removed because staffers would try and toss things onto them

2.     Avoid the “Senators Only Elevator” at all costs

Yes, there are Senators Only Elevators and that is a very real, observed practice. Some Senators could not be less bothered if an intern accidentally finds themselves in that elevator- they may even be amused. But some Senators have been known to ask you to exit, and at worst, will contact your office to report it. I had a brief run-in with a very kind Senator after I almost stepped into the elevator but caught my mistake in time. It made for a great story, but it could have gone very wrong very quickly. 

 

The Old Senate Chamber *The Senate was not nearly as formal or revered back then, they definitely would've let you ride the elevator with them if they had elevators. 

3.     Introduce yourself to everyone and follow-up

In a Hill office, you will have a direct supervisor, but just about everyone in the office will give you tasks. Make sure you complete every task, big or small, as best as you can, and follow-up as soon as you’re done. Sometimes someone who gave you a task will forget they did or even forget who they asked to do it. The best impression you can make in the beginning of your internship is making sure as many people as possible know your name, and know that you can competently and quickly finish the tasks given to you. That way, when it comes time for the fun stuff, you’re their first choice to do it!

 

I was given a task that involved me taking the tunnels all the way to the Library of Congress on a Monday afternoon. One of my favorite places in D.C. 

4.     Everyone is important

In most Senate offices, people stick around for a while. Most people in my office  (more than 70%) were interns for my Senator, then staff assistants, then Legislative Correspondents, Legislative Assistants, so on and so forth. If they weren’t interns for my Senator, they were interns on the Hill elsewhere. A Staff Assistant may be an LA in just a few years! It’s important that you connect and network with everyone. Also, they are frequently consulted when a hiring director wants to hire an former intern. Whether or not they enjoyed working with you could mean the difference between job and no-job post-graduation.

5.     Appreciate your time

You are so fortunate to work on the Hill. You will meet so many amazing people, and do amazing things every day. Not only is the setting beautiful (the Russell Senate Office Building is my favorite, next to the Capitol Building of course), but you get to see the behind the scenes of some of the most important work in the country. Being a Senate intern can quickly become exhausting, but take a second every day to remind yourself of the opportunity you are so fortunate to have. On that note: take advantage of your nearly unlimited access to the buildings.  I personally love giving Capitol tours and have learned so much about the buildings and the history of the Capitol just from wandering the halls, talking to people, and reading all of the inscriptions. Take pictures when you can!

 

I took this picture after dropping something off at the Democratic Cloakroom in the Capitol building. #littlesenateinternthings

Fun Fact for your tour: One of Hawaii's statues in Emancipation Hall is King Kamehameha. He weighs 6 tons, with a solid granite base. Per tradition, any statue of King Kamehameha must be the biggest statue in the room- therefore, his is the largest statue of all the statues in the Capitol building. 

QUICK TIPS

1.     The Longworth HOB cafeteria has an amazing buffalo chicken salad.

2.     No one calls the café in the Dirksen-Hart Ground Floor Connecting Hallway “American Grill”, they call it Chef.

3.     Make friends with the security guards- they are the nicest people in the Capitol and will always help you out when you’re lost.

4.     Write down your senator’s coffee order so you don’t have to ask every time you’re asked to grab him/her coffee.

5.     I maintain that Cups in the Russell Tunnel is worlds better than the Dirksen Coffee Shop.

6.     If you need to use headphones for your computer, only put it in one ear. You don’t want to be the intern that missed the Senator because you couldn’t hear him/her behind you.

7.     The walls in Hart are practically paper- be aware of your volume!