Caroline and I posing outside of an office cheering on the Caps!

C-A-P-S LET’S GO CAPS! This was the constant refrain around DC and outside Capital One Arena last Thursday night as fellow CAPS member Caroline and I watched the Capitals bring home the Stanley Cup. It was incredible to see the energy and watch the city come alive around the event. D.C. is an amazing city, vibrant and overflowing with political energy and I have really enjoyed my time here so far. 

The cheering refrain was also a constant reminder of my CAPS internship and the reason I’m able to have these experiences this summer. I’m interning with Venn Strategies, a government relations and public affairs firm in the heart of Washington, D.C. I just finished up my third week and it has been a whirlwind. I am a part of two client teams based around tax and infrastructure, two things I knew very little about before arriving here. It’s been humbling to realize how many things I don’t know. At Valpo, I think of myself as a fairly intelligent and capable person and I really dislike asking for help. At Venn, I’m learning that being smart can mean asking for help, and that double checking to make sure I’m doing a project correctly means not looking bad if I finish it and it has been done wrong. My coworkers have been incredibly helpful and willing to teach me about things I’m still not sure of. I’ve really appreciated their patience as I learn the basics of writing policy memos for clients and over hearings on topics from railways to tax structure.

One of the best experiences I’ve had so far was participating in the Center for Reproductive Right’s State Summit. CRR is a client of Venn’s and I helped to organize the materials and prepare for the summit. The night before the event I attended a reception where I got to meet Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) and several other important players in the reproductive rights field. The reception took place on the roof of the Newseum with a gorgeous view of the Capitol and surrounding area. 

At the CRR reception on top of the Newseum

The next day I attended the summit as an assistant to my coworker managing the event. I got a firsthand look at everything that goes on behind the scenes to put on a large event (this summit was for 200 people!) I have a new respect for anyone who has ever stuffed folders or made name tags after seeing how much work it takes.  When we had gotten everything under control, I was able to participate in the summit and listen to panels on maternal mortality and non-profit cooperation and alliances. CRR hosts this summit every year to empower state leaders in the reproductive justice movement. Their hard work is really inspiring and gave me a lot of hope for the future. Watching the news and looking at social media, sometimes the world seems like an incredibly negative place. However, as I watched these strong women encourage and support one another, I felt empowered and was reminded that I too am able to make a difference. It was a really interesting day and seeing it all come together helped me to understand the importance of the work that I’m doing here.

All together, I’m definitely achieving the goal I set for myself of understanding what lobbying looks like. While I had a general idea at the beginning of the summer, I was aware that I had probably watched too much Scandal to have an honest picture. My coworkers have showed me, through taking me to meetings and explaining goals and plans to me, how cooperation and honesty (not blackmail) can help make real policy changes happen for their clients. I’m having a blast here in D.C. so far, and can’t wait to see how much I learn and grow over the next seven weeks.