I had the pleasure of working with Senator Debbie Stabenow from Michigan for two weeks. My situation was quite unique because I was asked to work for two weeks rather than one, which I had initially planned for. Because the Senate was in recess my first week, it allowed my to get settled into the routine of the office before things really sped up. This was helpful for me and allowed for more time to work with my legislative team.
Working on the hill as a whole really opened my eyes to the world of politics and what it takes to get just one piece of legislation passed. I also tried to attend as many staff briefings as possible to get a taste for many of the issues that Senator Stabenow is focusing on. I worked on the legislative team concerned with energy, the environment, and manufacturing. These are all topics and issues that mean a lot to me so I loved writing memos, doing research, and attending briefings on all of these topics. Meeting the Senator was especially exciting after discovering through conversation that she was a Girl Scout growing up. It was also extremely exciting to see Vice President Joe Biden at the office as well as the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, John McCain. Having a first hand experience of the legislation process and knowing how things work on Capitol Hill will be beneficial in any job I have in the future. Not many people have the opportunity to experience what I did and I am very grateful to the Council and Senator Stabenow’s office for providing me with such an exciting two weeks this summer.
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