I walk into class three minutes late and, not so surprisingly, everyone else is there on time. My professor gives me a forgiving look as I walk to my seat trying not to make any sound and take out my notebook and a pencil as fast as I can. All of a sudden, I feel a slight vibration from from my cellphone. I look at my professor – ok, he’s writing on the board – and I grab my phone. It’s an email titled “RE: Summer Internship DC – Congresswoman Niki Tsongas.” Oh. Gosh.
I had been waiting for this email for almost a month. I applied for an internship with my Congresswoman, Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA 3RD District), in January. Previously, I worked at the Massachusetts State House as summer tour guide and canvassed for Hillary Clinton in New England. I had always considered Congresswoman Niki Tsongas as a politician who genuinely cared about her constituents, and the work that she did in Congress resonated with causes that I cared deeply about, such as immigration, education and women’s rights. Even better, if I got this internship I would be working on the Capitol Hill!
After two months of waiting, I received an email on March 8th to schedule a phone interview and screamed for about three minutes straight. It was my first official professional interview ever. I even messaged a family friend who previously interned for Senator Elizabeth Warren for some words of wisdom the night before. I locked myself in my room half an hour before the scheduled time and spoke calmly despite the fact my hands were too sweaty to hold my phone and I had to use my headphones.
During my interview, my interviewer asked if I had any questions for her. I paused for a second and asked, “I understand the appeal of working on the Hill. It’s exactly where I want to be this summer… but can you please tell me a bit more how it is like from an insider’s view?”
She giggled, paused for a few seconds to clear her throat, and said, “D.C. is the only place where you can find yourself surrounded by thousands of young people with similar aspirations and passions. All of us are here because we care about what goes in the world and want to make a difference in our own ways. Nothing can replace the passion that you will find in D.C. I love it here. It’s so great. It’s exactly where a young passionate person should want to be.”
As I listened, I could almost hear my heart beating in the rhythm of “City of Stars”. I said to her, “Yes, that is exactly where I want to be.” At the end of the call, my interviewer thanked me for my interest and told me that I should expect to hear back in two weeks.
Two weeks later, I heard nothing. I panicked – What did I do wrong in the interview? Was one of my answers too long? Oh crap, I forgot to send her a “thank you” email after the interview! That must’ve been it! I cried to my parents on the phone, but they told me to be patient and reminded that a lot was going on in D.C. at the time: “Finding a summer intern is definitely at the bottom of every congressional office’s priority list!”
By the time of three weeks passed, I was disheartened and applied for some more internships. At the urging of my friends, I sent a very succinct email respectfully asking for an update of my application to my interviewer that Friday and decided to move on. It’s ok. You’re just a freshman. To get an interview for a summer internship on the Hill was already a great honor.
Tuesday, April 11th. I looked at my professor again and decided to check my phone under my notebook. It took about a century to load. I couldn’t wait to find out, but, at the same time, didn’t want to know.
“Welcome to Team Tsongas!”
I sat in silence and felt tears coming out of my eyes. I bet my professor was probably wondering why I was so emotional as he showed a slide on “U.S. Trade Deficit”.
I cannot wait to dive into the passionate and talented pool of D.C. interns this summer.