Category: Spring 2021

---

This spring, I had the opportunity to work as an intern in the office of Iowa senator, Chuck Grassley. Due to Covid, I was the only intern (as opposed to the normal eight to ten), so I worked on a variety of projects and had a broad range of daily tasks. Going into the internship, I didn’t know I would be the only intern, but I quickly learned that it would be a special semester. Although I am a Champaign County Illinois native, Iowa has grown to occupy a large piece of my heart.

My daily tasks included sending emails to the staff of the senator’s media presence from the day prior, reading newspapers from the major cities in Iowa and compiling them in a portfolio for the senator, and printing his schedule for the next day so that he was briefed for each meeting. One of my favorite daily tasks is reading newspapers from some of Iowa’s large cities: Waterloo, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Sioux City. I get to read amazing stories from Iowans across the state and relay that information to the senator through his daily clips.

I worked on administrative, press, and legislative projects, and no two days ever looked the same. I wrote and sent out letters to constituents on behalf of the senator, attended live TV hits with him, like interviews on Fox News, took legislation to the Senate floor, researched topics before Senate Agriculture, Judiciary, or Finance Committee hearings, and so much more.

The senator takes so much pride in his annual 99 County Meetings tour, where he tours all 99 counties in Iowa to visit businesses and host Q&A sessions for his constituents. After each week of state work periods, I got to update his website and connect it to his social media accounts so that website visitors can see his trips to each of the counties.

Senator Grassley and his staffers always made me feel as if I was a permanent part of the team and gave me large responsibilities. During not one, but two Vote-a-Ramas, I documented the hundreds of amendments to massive expansive bills. I ran into multiple senators and had many great conversations with my boss. I witnessed some of the largest events in modern-American history, such as January 6^th, impeachment trials, and Covid bills.

The first month of my stay in D.C., my street was barricaded and occupied by the National Guard, and the Capitol was strictly guarded. Through this and the pandemic, I had to learn to make the best of my semester, regardless of the adversities I faced. As the weather got warmer and restaurants eventually opened, I was able to explore D.C. a little more. Every Sunday I walked to the monuments, ate from a food truck, and observed the beauty of the city.

I have so many great memories from this semester, but I truly did get some of the best experiences. During one of my trips to the Senate cloakroom, I went to the rotunda and much to my surprise, I had it all to myself. I was able to observe the work of our Founding Fathers and recollect on my time in Washington. With no tourists or visitors, it was hard to believe that I first stood in the rotunda seven years prior, dreaming of working on the Hill one day.

Spring 2021 IIW Alum Anastaseya Kulikova lived in D.C. as the capital began to transition back to in-person life. Most of her work at the Advocacy Project was done virtually, but she was still able to explore the city with an IIW classmate and start her professional network.

---

Coming from the Windy City, my expectations for Washington, D.C. were high. After experiencing the historic monuments, the incredible restaurants, and the beautiful cherry blossoms, it is safe to say my expectations were met.

The move to D.C. was an anxious one. With COVID-19 shutting down major events, museums, and monuments in the momentous city and the recent capitol attacks keeping the city on edge, it was difficult to fall in love with the city. It was difficult to find activities that were COVID safe as well as accommodating the cold weather where outdoor activities were limited. I also couldn’t go to the office of my internship until later into the semester due to safety precautions of the pandemic.

As people began to get vaccinated and the weather started to warm up, I was able to explore the city and even stop by the office. Bailey and I were the only students from the [Spring IIW] program to have come down to D.C., so the two of us explored the monuments as well as other historical landmarks like Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate in Virginia, and the Arlington Cemetery, where JFK and RBG are buried.

My internship with the Advocacy Project was truly the most fulfilling aspect of the Illinois in Washington Program. The pandemic has made it difficult to secure an internship, as many internships were either remote or cancelled until further notice. It was frustrating after waiting months to hear back from the offices I applied for, but I managed to get a handful of interviews on Capitol Hill and around D.C. However, after researching the incredible work the non-profit organization does to help startups around the world, I was eager to work for Iain and the rest of the crew at the Advocacy Project.

[During her last week in the office, Iain (not pictures) and Anastaseya went to the office. The paintings behind Anastaseya are from Nepali women.]

Each intern was assigned a special project. My projects included helping Victoria, an activist in Uganda, to uplift sexual assault victims, and Pinky, an organizer in Nepal, to assist dishwashers who were making poverty wages and working in horrific conditions. Most of my work as an intern for the Advocacy Project included attending meeting, creating budgets, writing blogs for the AP website, editing project pages for the organization’s website, and assisting in fundraising efforts. The projects were divided into phases, in which the first phase occurred between January and May. My interest and leadership on the projects have excited me to extend my internship into phase 2, where I will virtually oversee the work that Victoria and Pinky do in Uganda and Nepal during the summer!

My time in D.C. was an eye-opening experience. I spent most of my time networking through LinkedIn and managed to fit several “coffee talks” within the semester. Talking to staff assistants at the Hill, lobbyists, and other interns throughout the city, I went back home with a better sense of what the city has to offer. Networking is one of the best ways to make the most out of your time in D.C. The political sector is so diverse, and informational interviews are a great way to narrow down your interests. I hope to come back sometime in the future and use my knowledge of the city to expand my political experience.