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Archives for April 2020

How to Make Life Enjoyable when Your Internship Gets Busy

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

 

A Day in the Life of One Intern

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

Friends in All Places

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

Oh, the Things You’ll See

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

Relax, Recharge, and Reflect!

When working in D.C. whether you are working on the Hill, with a private office, or even one of the biggest departments of the U.S., it is hard to find things to do to escape from all the stress. Many of the jobs up there require long hours of work that is always challenging you to learn. In this case many individuals seem to forget about taking time for selfcare and relaxing. Now this does not mean just to sit at home in your PJ’s and do a facemask; there are a lot more ways to regroup and take care of yourself than that. I have found that the best thing for me to clear my mind and recharge for the upcoming week is going outside and exploring. There are many hidden treasures in D.C. that many people forget about such as the Potomac River, sitting at the monuments and watching the people walk by, or even sitting in the park by your apartment and reading a book. There are so many ways to get out in nature and relax. All you have to do is find a relaxing place, take a deep breath, and do whatever makes you happy.

Always remember to “Relax, Recharge, and Reflect”!

Katherine Fazzino
Office of Congressman Bill Flores
Washington, D.C. | spring 2020

5 Places in D.C. that are D.eliC.ious

It’s time to talk about America’s favorite pastime…food, well maybe it isn’t every Americans favorite pastime but it sure is mine, lets dive in.

I have compiled and narrowed down a list of all the places I ate at while I was on my internship in Washington DC. After a long day at work on the hill or 20,000 steps around the National Mall, the best thing to have is a good meal. There were so many great places but only a select 5 made the list, I will be sure to add all the details of why certain ones made the cut and others didn’t.

  1. Ted’s Bulletin
  • First up, Ted’s, there just aren’t enough good things to say about this place, almost everything on the menu is a good choice, all the way down to the biscuits and gravy. Also not to mention they MAKE THEIR OWN POP TARTS. Yep, you read that. Homemade pop tarts, can’t beat ‘em. This is not an everyday place to eat, but the occasional treat is well worth it.
  1. Matchbox
  • Next on the menu is Matchbox, traditional American food, 10/10 recommend the sliders, medium rare, put the onions on the burger…you will not regret it. Not to mention the wood fired pizzas, top notch. I would be crazy to not mention the unlimited brunch, yes, unlimited. It’s just over $30 a person but you will not leave hungry, I was practically carted out of the restaurant…with the chair still attached. But I wouldn’t change a thing, it was well worth it. Order the cast iron cinnamon rolls.
  1. Grilled Cheese DC
  • Let’s talk alllllll things grilled cheese, oh yes, not a place for the lactose intolerant. The majority of their menu is variations of grilled cheeses, very yummy. Some call it grilled cheese but when you add chicken parmesan to a grilled cheese with homemade tomato soup, you would be crazy not to call it delicious. Also, how many people can say they have been to a grilled cheese bar, it’s a must.
  1. Lincoln’s Waffles
  • Classic case of never judge a book by its cover, this place seems sketchy from the outside but when you try the chicken, you will know why it made the list. Found right outside Ford’s Theatre, the entire restaurant can only hold about 30 people, but it is well worth it. The regular chicken and waffles are the way to go. They serve a thin waffle with crispy chicken wings.  Don’t knock it until you try it. I promise you will want to go back.
  1. Old Ebbitt Grill
  • A little on the expensive side but the brunch potatoes will make you want to go back every day. We had a morning full of walking and sightseeing, heard about this place and stopped in to see what it was about, let’s just say, after brunch we rented scooters…our bellies were filled. It is so great. I had trout, potatoes, and green beans. Riley ordered eggs benedict on an English muffin and potatoes. It might seem like I have mentioned the potatoes a lot, but I don’t think I could say enough about them. Get. the. potatoes.

Overall, this list could go on for days, I would love to chat about food, maybe over lunch? Seems fitting…100% recommend going to Washington DC to visit and learn all about our nation’s capital, I can’t wait to go back. If you ever find yourself hungry in DC, refer back to this list or give me a call. I would love to hear all the places you guys have been and recommend! Leave recs below!!

Sarah Scroggin
House Committee on Agriculture – minority office
Washington, D.C. | spring 2020

The Secrets of D.C.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to stuff your suitcases full and move to the Capitol of our country? Wondering what it would be like to move 1400 miles away and to work in the buildings and walk the halls of our government officials?

Well I wondered. Being raised on a farm and ranch I wanted to become an agricultural lobbyist. Having this dream, I needed to know the reality of D.C. There I was, a nineteen-year-old junior at Texas A&M filing out an application that could show me the reality of our government. November of 2019, I received an email from Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Internship Program (ANRP) starting with “Congratulations Logan.” Fast forward to January 14th I started my first day in Congressman Michael Clouds office.

Here I learned:

  1. How a bill is actually created and passed.
  2. C. is a SMALL WORLD
  3. Always leave a little early when taking the metro places, you never know when it’s going to get stuck on the tracks.
  4. Twin size beds are not for me

This internship was an experience of a lifetime. I had the opportunity to sit in on hearings with the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Purdue, walk the same halls as of our decision makers, assist in research for our legislative staff when it came to bills they were working on, and many other experiences. All the curiosity I had before getting this opportunity turned to answers as well as opened more areas of interest for myself. In the halls of Longworth, I discovered I did not want to move to D.C. to pursue a career as an agricultural Lobbyist, but I also realized how passionate I am when it comes to international trade and commodity groups. I learned to never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone to learn something new. Moving and working as an intern in D.C. was one of the most challenging as well as rewarding experiences I have had yet.

Take the time to find something you are passionate about. Ask yourself, “how could I step out of my comfort zone and grow as an individual?” When you find that answer, go find all the answers to everything you are curious about. Find the biggest suitcase possible and never let an opportunity pass you by.

Logan Goudeau
Office of Congressman Michael Cloud
Washington, D.C. | spring 2020