Majors: Chemistry and Political Science

Internship: Office of Congressman Mike Thompson

Participated: Summer 2024

Tell us about your internship - what kind of work did you do?

I answered phone calls from constituents and researched upcoming bills. I think it was very interesting to see how the political processes worked and why things are done. For example calling different organizations to gain endorsements for political leverage.

Have your career goals changed as a result of your internship?

Yes, I think I want to work a couple years in politics first before determining if I still want to pursue law school.

Tell us about an exciting memory from your internship

We had weekly softball games! It was really fun meeting interns and staffers from other offices and listening to their experience and how each office is very different.

Did your internship lead to any opportunities?

Yes, there were a lot of events on the hill which allowed me to both network and gain professional skills. Being on the hill also makes a lot of different offices accessible for chats and a lot of people are willing to try to help you or flag your resumes for future jobs.

Share a story about something special you did in Washington

I had the opportunity to travel to Old Town Alexandria! We went to this restaurant that George Washington used to frequent and we also took the water taxi back to Georgetown so we got to see a lot of monuments and the Pentagon.

How has living in the nation's capital for a quarter changed you?

Before I thought I only wanted to stay in CA but now I want to try living on the east coast, specifically DC for a couple of years before returning to California. I also realized how there is no one path to get jobs you want!

What advice would you like to share with future UCDC participants?

Get used to talking to new people, because you never know who you're sitting next to. DC is a lot more of who you know rather than who you are, so the better you are with connecting the more you can gain from the experience.