Hard to believe that summer is about to come to an end. With only three days remaining in my Washington, DC internship, the bittersweetness is definitely starting to set in. Even though this was a short summer internship - just under six weeks - I’ve definitely learned a ton. Rep. Olson and his office have really helped make this a great experience. They’ve given me and the other three interns the chance to draft letters and emails, explain the Congressman’s viewpoint on hot-button issues over the phone, and the opportunity to lead many tours of the nation’s Capitol Building. The other interns have definitely made the experience too. All of us get along really well and share many of the same interests, and it’s been really fun getting to know them at work, touring the city, and going to evening receptions.
Spending nearly six weeks in the Capitol also has given me lots of free time to explore the city. After seeing nearly all the Smithsonian museums - the most incredible museums I’ve ever seen - it’s made me realize how little I really know. Knowledge just overflows from those museums. Gemstones, volcanoes, antique planes, 9/11 remnants, 14th century art, animals from every continent - all of it’s right here, within a 1-mile radius of Capitol Hill. If anything, it definitely has given me a sense of how much more there is to learn.
Interning in DC also makes me incredibly grateful to Texas Tech. Because of the foresight that our University President had 13 years ago, Texas Tech has one of the best intern programs on Capitol Hill. At any given time in the year, there are more than a dozen interns from Tech interning in Washington. Equally good planning led the University to buy a house less than two blocks from the Capitol. Some interns have to commute more than an hour each way to work every day. We have to walk about five minutes.
This experience has definitely given me a perspective of politics that would be impossible to achieve any other way. For that I will always be grateful.
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| Fellow interns John and Olivia and Congressman Olson |
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| Standing with the man of importance |
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| I'm going to miss this view every day! |
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