Interns: A New Perspective on Politics
Ashley Sipe, Samad Jawaid, Roman Sarmiento, Terry Nguyen, David Dorsett, Julia Schoepe, Frances Zubiate
Herndon High School seniors
receive credit for semester-long internships and gain valuable experience.
By Brynn Grimley
March 22, 2006
When a Federal Bureau of
Investigation officer slammed Samad Jawaid up against a wall in the nation's
capitol, he was more worried about the officer's dog than anything else.
"They are not dogs," said the Herndon High School senior, "They are giant beasts
on steroids."
While pushed up against the wall — his hands pinned behind his back — the FBI
officer searched Jawaid's pockets. After finding the identification badge that
allowed him into the congressional hearing, Jawaid was able to return to the
meeting where he would later meet the president of Colombia and the Ambassador
of Pakistan.
"It was pretty cool," he said about the detainment.
As an intern for U.S. Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) Jawaid is just one of 67 Herndon
High seniors interning on Capitol Hill or with a separate government
organization.
The political science internship elective is offered to high school seniors who
have completed a prior government class.
AROUND FOR MORE than a decade, since taking over the internship program in 1994,
Doug Graney, Herndon High U.S. history, political science and philosophy
teacher, has helped cater the course to appeal to his students.
Originally, teachers
throughout Fairfax County worked together to place students in the available
internships. Because that program did not offer students a choice in where they
were placed, Graney altered Herndon's program.
Now when students begin the
semester they are asked to write down congressional offices they would like to
work in. For the less politically-picky students, they can write down which
party affiliation they would prefer to work with. Students not interested in
working in a congressional office also have the option of interning with an
embassy or other political organization.
"I want them to really see how government works from the inside," he said about
the program. "I want them to have fun, and I want them to look back at this as a
great memory from high school."
To offer the program to more
students, Rebecca Small, Advanced Placement government teacher, partnered with
Graney because the elective is so rewarding for students.
Last year Small had to make a
number of "cold" calls, or calls to offices where Herndon High interns had not
previously been placed. Many of last year's students wanted to be in Democratic
offices, she said. Because Democrats are the minority party on The Hill, by the
end of the placements Small felt like her resources had been exhausted. This
year was the opposite; more students wanetd to intern in Republican offices, she
said.
AFTER VISITING STUDENTS on The Hill March 15, and consequently being invited to
attend a reception held by Native American tribes for congressmen like Sen. John
McCain (R-Ariz.), Small and Graney received feedback from the congressional
staff.
"Several of the supervisors said the work our students are doing surpasses the
work of the college interns," said Small. "It was really neat to see how
students had become part of the office."
Listing a couple of her
students, Small explained each internship is offering the students a chance to
do a little of everything.
Many of the students, like senior Blair Thomlinson who is in Sen. Hilary
Clinton's (D-NY) office, have been answering phones and relaying issue positions
of their senator or representative to constituents, Small said. The students are
also manning the front office, giving Capitol tours to out of town visitors,
answering constituent mail and answering the phones.
"People will start yelling at
you for no reason and you can't really say anything back," said Jawaid about
answering some calls. "You have to be nice, so you just say thank you and hang
up when they are done."
Through her internship with
Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Terri Nguyen was given the opportunity to write a speech
about the 150 year anniversary of a town in Wisconsin that Kind read on the
floor.
"I went into it expecting to have to fold mail and print stuff out," she said.
"I was really nervous because I didn't want to screw up. I didn't think they
would give me that much responsibility."
WORKING IN Rep. Jose Serrano's (D-NY) office, Frances Zubiate had the
opportunity to sit near Condoleezza Rice in a hearing and even shake her hand
afterwards. "I was asked to revise a bill the first day I got there," she said.
"I was just an intern, so I was thinking 'am I really able to do that?'"
Joking he was one of the last
students to get placed, David Dorsett said his time with Rep. Roscoe Bartlett
(D-Md.) has been educational — even if he is responding to letters.
"I think the most interesting has been doing the research and writing letters to
constituents," he said.
Not overly interested in politics before his internship, after working with
Bartlett, Dorsett realizes politics could be a possibility, he said.
"It has been a really great experience," he said. "It has opened my mind now
because Congressman Bartlett was a scientist, then he became a teacher and he is
now a congressman. So even if I don't want to do it now, that could change."
Ashley Sipe found one of the
harder parts about her internship with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) has
actually been navigating her way through the underground tunnels of the Capitol
building.
"It's what you make it so you have to go in with an open mind," she said. "I
knew he was a Senator from Tennessee, so I figured he was pretty conservative. I
am really there to help the constituents and the Senator and other people in the
office."
CHOOSING NOT TO work on The Hill, Julia Schoepe and Roman Sarmiento were placed
in internships that catered to their political and personal beliefs.
Graney suggested Schoepe
intern with the political group the National Abortion Rights Action League at
the start of the semester because of her political opinions, she said.
"I went in with an open mind that whatever task I was given I would do — even
data entry," said Schoepe, who added while data entry could get tedious, it is
very important and someone has to get it done.
"I didn't know that NARAL
even existed before my experience," she said. "It's opened my mind about other
people's views and what they think. I'm much more educated about the topic and I
feel more comfortable about speaking to people about it."
Sarmiento opted to intern at
the Embassy of the Philippines, which also happens to be his native country.
"After my second time there I started learning about my history, which was
really interesting, " he said.
Since working there Sarmiento has helped plan events, which he said happen
almost every weekend. He is also working on creating a database for the entire
building, and helping plan an event for the 20th anniversary of the country's
revolution.
"This group has been
notable," said Graney about the students placed. "Franny [Zubiate] on her first
day was putting in legislation."
For the interns who have not
been as fortunate to write speeches or putting in legislation, meeting their
congressmen or riding in the elevator with well-known politicians has been
reward enough.
"It's so cool because history is being made right there while you are working,"
said Dorsett.
Not upset about being
"detained" — but also hoping not to run into the FBI or their dogs for the
remaining month of his internship — Jawaid agreed the internship has been an
eye-opening experience.
"I like my congressman — he's a funny guy," he said. "I thought all congressmen
were uptight, but actually they are not. My congressman cracks jokes in the
office all the time, he is really fun to work with."