March 25th, 2024

Howdy y’all! This semester continues to surprise me because of how fast it’s going by! Just yesterday, I booked my ticket home to Texas for the summer. It was such a bittersweet moment of realization for me because I have been missing home and am ready for a break; at the same time, though, I cannot believe I only have about a month left at my internship and of school left. The end of March leading into April is a very special season full of emotions and fun, especially for prospective students. I remember this time last year I was ecstatic because I had heard back from many schools that I was interested in. As many will make an important decision soon, I thought in this blog I could focus on advice for prospective students. Below you can see pictures of a couple of my favorite moments in DCfrom my freshman year. Also a picture of the day I committed to AU at Nea Eagle Day!

If I were to give prospective students advice for internships as a Cornerstone student, my mind goes straight to communication and leadership, two of the most important qualities you can have. Interning as a freshman is very intimidating but not letting that fear get in the way is how you adapt to the working world: let your personality shine through. I have to say I am blessed with the best office! My internship advisor is dedicated to help me learn and grow and serves as an inspiration on how I would like to be when I grow up and potentially work in DC. I hope that one day I can serve as a mentor to someone as he has for me. Being surrounded by go getters in the office has translated into my work. I communicate with the various members in our office and this has helped me meet many people and gain great professional experience. As someone who has interest in press, our office Press Secretary and Press Assistant have allowed me to help them with tasks and projects which have already helped me grow in various ways. Through drafting letters and postcards, I have been able to refine my writing skills while also acting as a leader.

Additionally, going to coffee with the legislative staffers in our office has helped me gain various perspectives. Specifically, one of the staffers handles many issue areas, one being, education. By communicating with her, she has shined a light on many opportunities available for me to pursue my interest. Remember that everything is a learning experience, simply engaging in conversation with the staff in your office can allow you to learn many things. I look forward to every Monday when I can ask our office scheduler and staff assistant how their weekend was. Take advantage of every moment, when you think you just started to get the grip of things, you only have a month and half left.

Along with school, I would say that it is so important to have fun. College is a time where you should explore all the things that you love about life and find your people! Finding your people can be challenging, and I will be honest there will be ups and downs but keep your head up and you will find where you belong! Another important note that I will mention is who you surround yourself with. I have seen this so much in my own life this semester, and finding friends that support you emotionally and professionally is vital to enjoying your time here at AU. on lighter note, Spring Break enabled me to do something fun: I traveled to New York City with my friend! NYC was very fun and beautiful, from trying the viral Steak and Frites to going shopping in Soho, the trip was awesome! I was also happy to go home for the second half of the break! I missed Texas a lot! If you need any NYC or Dallas recommendations, you know who to come to! Below you can see pictures from my trip to the Big Apple. If you come to AU, I highly recommend going to NYC with your friends. 

As always I hope y’all enjoyed reading! See y’all next time!

*Thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and are not representative of my employer.*

March 4th, 2024

Howdy y’all! I hope that y’all are having a great day. I can’t believe it’s already March, this semester has flown by. Working at the U.S. House of Representatives (HOR) for Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne has continued to serve as an enlightening experience full of many fun experiences. As the congressional representative for TX-24, she serves my district; being able to collaborate with her is great since I am directly serving the community who made me who I am today.

It’s crazy to think that I have been working at the Hill for over two months. Throughout my time here, I have learned so much and have honed my professional skills to further pursue my interest in my future career goals. My schedule has been super busy and eventful but I love the thrill that comes with working while doing classes. As I progress in my internship, I have started to get more versed with the various daily tasks and responsibilities that are assigned to me. I have been working on several projects including writing memos and press related projects.

As I continue to navigate my journey at the Hill, I have noticed a positive improvement in my professional skills ranging from networking to retaining information. As an intern, I have found myself retaining more information each day that affects not just Texas constituents but all Americans. Through writing memos and communicating with constituents, I have taken advantage of my interest in certain policy areas. One specific area that I have gained an interest in is the status of the Southern border. Recently, I was able to attend a legislative markup meeting for the House Judiciary Committee. This was truly a dream! I was able to see many representatives up close and hear about issues that concern the Southern border. Being able to experience this was surreal, from seeing these members advocate for their policy agendas to seeing them showcase their leadership in person was very insightful and inspiring.

One thing I have learned is that the Hill is full of knowledgeable people who are willing to work with you to further your goals and career. Whilst working at the Hill, I have come to realize the importance of networking. From going to coffee with many staffers to meeting new people through conversations, many doors have opened for me. In fact, just today, I was able to go on the House Floor where votes and the State of the Union takes place. You never know who you are going to meet and how they can help you, so go into your internship with an open mind and the willingness to learn.

While the next couple of weeks are starting to get busier, I am so excited for Spring. As a native Texan, I love the sun! I am excited to see the Cherry Blossoms this season and hang out with my friends and family in DC. I look forward to sharing more about my experiences and hope you guys enjoyed reading! See you soon!

*Thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and are not representative of my employer.*

Feb 12, 2024 |

Hi y’all! My name is Priyanka Bhutani and I hope that y’all are doing well! I’m one of the AU Cornerstone Ambassadors and this semester I am interning for Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (TX-24) at the U.S. House of Representatives (HOR). I love working for Congresswoman van Duyne as she is my representative, but also because she is extremely dedicated to Texans and their interests. Working with the Congresswoman has been an enlightening process which has shown me many interest areas I am excited to explore.

My first day of work was on January 22; I have been working at the Hill for about 4 weeks now. I work Mondays from 9am-3:30pm and Wednesdays from 9am-5pm, (6pm when we’re in session). I do have classes after work, but the busy schedule has taught me time management and I have come to appreciate it. 

On Mondays after work I have a Justice, Law, and Criminology class. I love this class because the topics we talk about in class are topics that I study for, or I get constituent calls about at work. Working at the Hill has been great because it has helped me hone in on my interest in public policy, so much so that I decided to add a minor in it. I have been able to explore public policy through the lens of serving constituents and I am so grateful that I can do so through the Cornerstone Program. 

Ever since I was in high school, I knew working at the Hill was something that I was interested in. I currently work in the Longworth House Office Building, and every work day is such a surreal experience. Being able to walk to the office security line and see the Capitol is such a great experience and reminds me everyday to continue to work towards my goals. As an intern, I try to establish a routine and arrive at work early. Once someone unlocks the door, I walk in, turn on the TVs, and put on C-Span or the news and make sure that the front lobby of our office is fully stocked.

Coming from Texas, everyone in our office is a Dr. Pepper fan, so we actually have a mini fridge full of Dr. Pepper! I organize the paper for the day and unroll the phones, that way constituents can call in for us to answer any questions/requests. As an intern, my tasks vary per week, especially depending on if we are in session or out of session, but every week my internship moderator makes sure that we work on a weekly legislative memo. In this, we look at the bills hitting the floor and choose one to research and analyze. 

One of my favorite things that I have done was writing a letter to a constituent. Another cool thing about my internship is that Representative Van Duyne is serving my district’s constituents, so I get to help the press and social media team. It is super fun because sometimes we feature constituents as Hometown Heroes and I always have great ideas about people we can feature in the future. To highlight my experience as an intern, something I do for fun is make day-in-the-life Tik Toks. This is a super fun way for me to be able to look back on my experience as a Hilltern and reflect on my days working for my representative. 

Balancing my internship and classes has been a challenge but it’s definitely preparing me for future endeavors. I have classes everyday of the week so making sure I cut out time to study is super important. I just joined a social non-profit called the Sisterhood of International Engagement. This has been a great way to meet more girls at AU who are interested in international engagement and professional experiences. Over the weekends, I continue to explore DC with my friends. Something fun I have been doing is exploring DC through coffee shops, so if you ever need a recommendation, you know who to come to! 

This coming week is super busy as I am preparing for my midterms, but I have a couple exciting things I am doing. First at work, we are out of session so I am going to try and explore the Capitol. Next, this weekend I am taking a 1 credit class on Women in Politics which will be super fun. One of the extra credit assignments is to visit the female sculptures in the Capitol; since I work there that will be super easy! I am also going on a couple sister dates to prepare for Big-Little week for SIE (Sisterhood of International Engagement). I look forward to sharing more about my experiences and hope you guys enjoyed reading! See you soon! 

My First Day of Work + Classes: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8EeRXby/ 

Day in the life: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8EemEXa/ 

Another Day in the life: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3A67fSRKQx/?igsh=MWo1Mzd5c3k2MnBqNQ== 

*Thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and are not representative of my employer.