Archives for April 2020

I love working on Capitol Hill but it definitely drains you. Everyone you work with is highly qualified for their job and you are constantly being judged for how you act, the way you talk, and
even how you dress on the hill. You need to find a hobby that you can do in the city. There are beautiful jogging and bike trails and of course sightseeing to do. But there’s also gyms, dance
classes, basketball teams you can sign up for, and the NBA stadium. Here are some ways to make your life enjoyable when “ The Hill” is to much for you:

1. Go out and do things by yourself or even ask a coworker to show you around.
2. Pick an activity that you never tried before. Let yourself grow with all the new experiences in D.C. because your time is short.
3. Be adventurous! Learn the quality of life.
4. Lastly, make sure you can find some alone time. The Hill gets hard and you might forget why the reason you signed up in the first place. I was always in shock that I was in Washington D.C., the Capital of the United States of America, working for a Congressman!

Preston Loggins
Office of Congressman Louie Gohmert
Washington, D.C. | spring 2020

I’m from a small town where the rooster and the train are competing on a daily basis to be your alarm clock. Where you get up and fire off your pickup and head off to school, work, or down to the local café where all the men gather round for their morning coffee. Where driving into town takes longer than driving through it.

DC is nothing like hometown Texas. You’re still waking up at 6 a.m. but it’s the trash truck slamming the dumpster 14 stories below, or maybe it’s someone hollering on the sidewalk that’s waking you up. If you’re wanting to get anything done in the morning you better take that wake-up call and get to it. Living at the Buchanan requires one to be ever conscious of time spent getting ready as four guys are needing in the same bathroom you’re in, so if you wake up late you’re going to be in the kitchen using the reflection in the microwave door to style your hair and shave. If you aren’t in the lobby by 8:10am, you’re going to be missing the train and you’ll be late; however, take the time to say bye to Roosevelt at the front desk before heading to the metro.

Once you get to work you have to go through security. For me this was a constant battle with the metal detector because it would detect something even though I emptied my pockets. I’m pretty sure the morning shift security guards hate me. After getting into the office and starting the coffee, setting out the newspaper, and logging into your computer the phone calls start rolling in. Just remember to be patient, be calm, and be that young respectful child your mama raised. Get used to the regular callers. These are the ones who you start worrying about if they haven’t called by the afternoon because they would’ve normally called hours ago.

Afternoons may consist of a Capitol tour. If your tour ends early, use this time to take advantage of being an intern and explore parts of the Capitol that the general public can’t go to. Find the tomb below the crypt where Washington was going to be buried, find the tunnels that run beneath the Capitol connecting the House side to the Senate, or stand on the Speaker’s balcony for a few minutes. But the best part of the day has to be when you’ve gotten back to the office and your office dog is so excited to see you. Be sure to treat her and take her on a walk.

Once the day wraps up and you leave the office take advantage of this time again and head over to the Capitol or to the Library of Congress to explore these historic buildings. Take the metro on back to the Virginia unless you’ve got a reception to attend which are probably going to be held in some of the hardest to find rooms of the Capitol. Back at the Buchanan, join the roommates who are now your family away from home for evening fun whether that be a meal share, workout, or a movie night. Getting to bed at a reasonable hour is pretty much a joke as you’re laughing and making bonds with guys that are going to be some good friends for life, after all you’re all Aggies so you’re just strengthening your familial bond.

Garrett Lathem
Office of Congressman John Ratcliffe
Washington, D.C. | spring 2020

Have you ever doubted the Aggie Network? It is a simple thing to do as it is hard to imagine an Aggie in almost every city and career field you can think of. However, it is real, and I have seen it first-hand in Washington, DC. The Aggie Network currently has 428,000 active former students, 62,000 undergrads, and more than 11,000 faculty and staff. That’s huge. In DC just for being a current student at Texas A&M I was invited to meet and talk to many inspiring and important people.

The first event I was invited to was a lively happy hour hosted by DC Aggies. DC Aggies is a fun social group made up of current and former students that now reside and work in and around the Capital. The club meets up and does fun events and activities about once a month. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet and get connected with people in all sorts of fields.

Another huge event was the annual Aggies on the Hill reception. This event was more formal then the happy hour and was hosted inside the U.S. Capitol. A lot of the same faces were in attendance, but there were also many prominent members of the Aggie Network and several others that flew in. Among those people where Michael K. Young, Colonel Michael Fossum, Congressman Bill Flores, and Congressman Will Hurd. It was such an exciting and cool experience to be able to interact with these individuals.

These events and meetings allowed me to have the opportunity to ask people I admired to go and grab coffee with me. On these coffee dates I had the opportunity to grow friendships and my professional knowledge by asking in-depth questions about individuals career journeys and aspirations. The one-on-one time was my personal favorite because it truly showed the Aggie Network, and how much people care about you and want to help you because you too bleed maroon.

Margaret Williams
National Association of Wheat Growers
Washington, D.C. | spring 2020

When they tell you there are a lot of things to do in the DC area they aren’t joking, you could spend years there and still have things to see. My internship was cut short because of COVID-19 and I regret the weekends I didn’t try to go do the things I wanted to see because I thought I had more time. Don’t get me wrong adjusting to your work schedule, navigating the city, and learning how-to live-in DC will be exhausting, but don’t take any time for granted. I suggest making plans days or weeks in advance and sticking to them. Plan out what you want to go see, when you are going, how you are going to get there, and what time you’ll be leaving, and most importantly stick to those plans! Now most of the Virginia and DC area is not up or open before 10 on the weekends (trust me I am an early riser and no one was out), so don’t be worried about having to get up at the crack of dawn. On some weekends you will want to just stay in bed and rest but I really do suggest going to do just one thing even if it is later in the day so you get to sleep in and don’t waste any time. If you run out of ideas ask your coworkers where you should go. Lastly, do not forget to take it all in, you are living in one of the oldest areas of the country and at times you will get numb to it all. As often as you can take a step back and let the awe of living in such a cool place hit you all over again.

Taylor Terry
Office of Congressman Kevin Brady
Washington, D.C. | spring 2020