For
most high school students, second semester of senior
year means choosing the right college dorm for the fall,
finding the perfect dress or tuxedo to wear to prom or
planning a graduation party.
But for students of Herndon High School's three
senior-level political science courses, these second
semester responsibilities also include delivering
high-level documents to members of the U.S. Congress,
attending specialized congressional committee meetings
and sometimes even writing speeches for U.S.
representatives.
"I'm just in awe still in the opportunity that I've been
able to get with this internship, it's amazing," said
18-year-old Charnelle Bazemore while sitting in the
Canon House Office Building of speaker of the house
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-8), the first woman in the
history of the country to hold that position. "You don't
even get to see many college kids getting this chance,
so it's just been great to be here and learn more about
what happens down here."
Bazemore is one of 71 Herndon High School students
participating in a political science internship this
semester. She and the other students of the program,
which also includes interns at non-profit interest
groups, embassies and municipal government offices,
devote at least eight hours over two days a week on top
of their studies to their respective offices. They
participate in the internships in the place of attending
their political science classes and provide continuous
journals and insights into their experiences on the hill
and in other offices.
The process is facilitated by Herndon High School
teachers Doug Graney and Rebecca Small who nominate
students for specific internships and represent them in
delivering resumes for successful placement. While
placement relies on what is available each semester,
students can request a particular party, have a choice
in what institution they would like to work and the
political affiliation of their representative or
senator, the teachers said.
WHAT STARTED as 10 Herndon High School students picking
up a few internships on Capitol Hill back in 1994 has
since expanded to be the largest high school Capitol
Hill intern self-placement program in the nation, said
Graney. Its several dozen placements even rivals many
universities in Washington, D.C., he added.
The reason the program has been so successful is because
of its high reputation, built on its careful student
selection process and a large number of requirements for
participation. All of the interns cannot be involved
with most second semester extracurricular activities,
like participation in sports and theater, to make sure
that their undivided attention is on the internship.
In addition, the students must demonstrate to the
teacher during the first semester of the course that
they possess the skills, dedication and maturity that
are necessary for the internship. As a result, each year
a handful of students cannot continue the class, as the
teachers decide not to place them in an internship.
Despite the large amount of dedication required of the
students, the rewards are huge, said Small.
"You see over the course of the internship that it just
gives the kids so much self confidence, a first-hand
knowledge of politics and really helps to develop the
kids into adults," Small said.
"They not only get to see things like the operation of
our government and office management, but they're right
in the middle of history, and they're a part of it,"
Graney said.
And sometimes it's the high school students who end up
performing even better than some of the college interns,
according to Paula Short, office manager for Pelosi and
Bazemore's supervisor. Each semester Pelosi's office
only accepts two or three high school interns, a number
significantly less than their total college interns, she
added.
"When they come in at first, they're shy, but by the end
they can walk around the capitol and know what's going
on just like experts," Short said. "And its not uncommon
for them to exceed our college students ... because
they're just so dedicated."
WORKING AMONG national politicians has been an
eye-opening experience for Nicholas Jacobs, 17, who
works in the office of Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio-13).
Jacobs, aside from his normal administrative internship
duties, is regularly tasked with attending and reporting
on special committee meetings.
"When you get down there, it's just immediately a
different perspective from being out here and watching
it on CSPAN, here it seems so far away, but there,
you're right up close," Jacobs said. "You can read about
it all you want in the textbook, but once you see it in
person, you can really start to understand it."
Past and present students have had a variety of
experiences when it comes to both the traditional as
well as the unorthodox practices of the legislature,
Small said. For instance, some students had to work to
separate the bricks that were sent in by proponents of a
border fence with Mexico last year.
Being a part of the process brings with it a renewed
sense of appreciation for the job of political
representatives, despite their often overall negative
portrayal as corrupt or aloof in the media, said Lauren
Moore, 17, of the office of Sen. Lamar Alexander,
(R-Tenn.).
"People sometimes don't realize that it's such a
complicated system and that things can take a long time
to get through sometimes," Moore said. "People will
sometimes call and complain and say that they're not
being represented ... but they really work hard."
Nichole Butler, 18, who works in Rep. Chris Smith's
(R-NJ-4) office agreed.
"Every office is different, but I can seriously say that
these people work incredibly hard, they usually need to
be in five places at once and they're usually not
leaving until late in the night," Butler said. "I don't
think a lot of people realize that ... and this has been
just a great experience to learn and appreciate that
fact."
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