Summer 2021 | Illinois in Washington

Learning the Ropes of D.C.

Shivani Bhogaraju interned with Emily’s List in Summer 2021. She had the opportunity to work with a political action committee (PAC), and gained invaluable experience in the campaign and advocacy sides of D.C.

Before beginning my internship search, I felt quite conflicted. My two years studying political science had sparked my interest in so many different aspects of the political process, and I wasn’t even sure where to begin when applying for prospective positions. Although it was quite difficult to commit myself to applying to as many internships as possible, I pushed through and was incredibly glad I did so. Rejection after rejection rolled in, and by mid-March it felt like I might not have a job for the summer. Luckily, one of my top choices expressed interest in my application, and it was clear to me from the beginning of the interview process that EMILY’s List was a workplace where I could see myself doing meaningful work while learning and growing among like-minded peers. From the beginning, it was important to me to have a job whose core beliefs and values aligned with my own, so I knew from my initial criteria that EMILY’s List would be a good fit for me.

Throughout my internship at EMILY’s List, I had quite a few experiences that expanded my perspective of the campaign process and helped me narrow down my interests in preparation for my upcoming job search. EMILY’s List is a political action committee that helps Democratic pro-choice women run (and win!) positions on the local, state, and federal level. The EMILY’s List team provides a wide variety of resources to candidates, including staff, organizational and financial support, and endorsements. As an intern with the Federal and Gubernatorial Campaigns team, I assisted a wide variety of candidates. With my team of other interns, I quickly learned the ins and outs of running a successful campaign that can withstand many of the complicated and unpredictable roadblocks that candidates face in today’s political landscape. From campaign launches to donor research, every task I was given was one that worked towards electing another woman to office, and regardless of the type of work I was doing it felt amazing to be contributing to the diversification of America’s elected officials.

Although it was definitely disappointing to participate in both my internship and the Illinois in Washington program online, participating in IIW enhanced my internship experience and helped me connect with peers who were also participating in internships both virtually and in person. Throughout the semester, I gained a deeper understanding of both the written and unwritten rules about working in DC. Perhaps the most important ‘unwritten’ rule I learned was the importance of networking, and as a result I had quite a few engaging and helpful networking calls with people who work in fields I am interested in pursuing. The assignments and lessons gave me an opportunity to perfect my argumentative writing and communication skills in a political setting, and I emerged from the program with a better sense of how to develop and articulate an argument that will resonate with others. Participating in IIW made my virtual internship feel a little bit less isolating, and I am so grateful for both the relationships and skills I’ve gained throughout the summer.

Working in the Enforcement Side of Policy

Kadin Asbery interned with Meagan Rich Law in Summer 2021. Instead of policymaking, he worked on the side of policy enforcement, focusing on juvenile cases at the firm.

The process of finding an internship can be intimidating and competitive, it takes many hours of research and many, many applications. When I began looking for my own internship I quickly realized that there are so many different moving parts in our government that it can be challenging to decide on what kind of internship interests you because there are so many different exciting opportunities. After narrowing my interests down and applying for several positions, I was able to land an internship at a law firm and quickly reinforced my goal of one day becoming an attorney. Immediately after starting my internship, I began to feel incredibly lucky that I was able to do what I did this summer and will not soon forget the firsthand experience and knowledge that I picked up, nor the connections and friendships that I made along the way.

This summer I was an intern at Meagan Rich Law, a law office that deals primarily Criminal, Family, and Juvenile law. Rather than dealing with those that create public policy like many of my classmates, I instead dealt with enforcing it. Specifically, this was done through Juvenile cases, whereby our firm’s attorney has a contract of appointed council, helping ensure that children in bad homes find safety. This kind of work took an emotional toll on me at first, but as I began to see cases come to a close I learned how rewarding it feels to know that you helped change someone’s life for the better.

My job during my time interning was to pull and sort case files, conduct research, complete discovery, answer phone calls, help with billing, and assist the paralegal and attorney with anything they needed depending on the day. Due to the nature of my work, I am not at liberty to explain much of what I saw, but I did learn many valuable lessons that will help me as I continue pursuing a career in law. One of the most important things I learned is how important organizational skills were for the job, whether it’s sorting files or scheduling court dates, one slip up could cause huge problems and the stakes are very high.

As I reflect on my time working at this law firm, I am grateful for the advice I received from my professor concerning the importance of networking or as we called it, going on “coffee talks.” By inviting attorneys I met in the courthouse to coffee breaks, I was able to get to know people who work in many different fields of law, broadening my horizons. I met many judges, court reporters, and county clerks who made me even more excited to start my career. If there is one piece of advice that I could share concerning any internship, it would be to do what needs to be done before someone needs to ask. For example, in my internship, I was thanked profusely after my attorney discovered I had restocked our bathrooms. After reorganizing the closet that we used to store case files, I was given an employee spotlight on social media. Small acts like this which so often go unnoticed may not directly concern your specific internship responsibilities and seem small, but once someone discovers this kind of work ethic you will stand out to your employer as a reliable and important part of the team no matter where the future may take you.