Hi! I am Laney Kellybrew, a junior honors student majoring in political science with a minor in urban planning. This summer I had the incredible opportunity to learn about congressional processes as an intern for my own representative, French Hill. I was able to intern in his D.C office for the entire month of June.

The internship mostly consisted of constituent contact. I was able to answer calls and aid constituents with receiving federal services, lead constituents on tours around the capital, and create media materials to inform citizens on federal services. Simply being in the environment of the Capitol creates a sense of professionalism and civic engagement. I was able to be around those who create law day in and day out.

I sought out this internship after I took a trip to D.C with the Razorback Action Group that is within the Associated Student Government. We are a non-partisan advocacy group for legislative issues on campus. After we were able to go speak with legislatures in the spring, I decided there was a significant amount of good to be done and I wanted to be a part of it. I immediately came back and decided to try to apply for an internship with my own representative.

The actual act of finding the internship was fairly easy. I was able to go to the website and quickly navigate to the information that guides your application process. Most other congressional internship applications operate through the same medium. I submitted my resume and a cover letter before having a few interviews. The entire process was smooth and I received confirmation for my internship a few months before I departed.

This internship removed the fog from my perception of what it is to work on Capitol Hill. Being an intern made a career in D.C feel much more tangible and within reach. Every day that I worked I felt fulfilled for having educated myself on the processes of Arkansas representatives and the physical impact I was able to see through helping citizens.
A large reason that I am grateful for this experience is the ways in which it grew me professionally. It was a glimpse of what it would be like to work a 9-5 in business professional attire everyday and surrounded by some of the most driven future policy makers of my generation. I was able to meet an immeasurable amount of fellow interns that motivated me to continue on my path and that there were others with the same intentions and goals.

Further than being a wonderful introduction to work on the other hill, this internship was crucial in giving me the connections and resources to actually acquire a job there in the future. Everyone is willing to meet with you and share their advice, and it was to my advantage to utilize that. I met with anyone and everyone that I could and had wonderful and enlightening conversations that guided me through what I do and do not want to do in the future.

This internship was an invaluable experience, and opened doors for me that have seemed intangible at times. I am grateful to representative French Hill for having me, my peers for guiding me, and the Honors College for enabling me.