澳门老奇人论坛

This summer, a couple of 澳门老奇人论坛 political science majors experienced the unique energy and excitement of working on Capitol Hill. 

鈥淚 got a chance to see what it was like to live the lifestyle of a congressman,鈥� said Grace Herritage, still excited about the opportunity. 

For a month, Herritage, a Radford senior from Columbia, South Carolina, served as an intern for Rep. Joe Wilson, who represents her home state鈥檚 2nd District.

鈥淚t was really hard work; it鈥檚 exhausting,鈥� Herritage said. 鈥淲orking for a congressman can be a 24/7 job.鈥�

For the first two weeks, while Congress was in session, Herritage served as Wilson鈥檚 personal assistant. 

鈥淚 would go with him everywhere,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淲e'd usually have briefings and meetings. We met with prime ministers of countries; we met with defense secretaries of countries. Also, he would speak and meet with other members of Congress. He鈥檚 77 and running laps around me.鈥�

During the two weeks in her internship when Congress was out of session, Herritage worked with 30-some other interns researching towns, people and businesses Wilson would soon visit on his summer bus tour. She also worked the phones, answering calls from constituents wanting their voices heard, and often the calls were not pleasant. 

鈥淲e would get hundreds of calls from people wanting to talk 鈥� and yell,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 got yelled at all the time.鈥�

Answering phone calls was a role Caroline Sapp played, too, during her summer internship with Rep. Morgan Griffith, who represents Virginia鈥檚 9th District.

鈥淐onstituents would call with complaints about certain legislation, or they wanted the congressman to vote a certain way on something,鈥� explained the senior from Warrenton, Virginia. 鈥淚t kept me on my toes, but that was fun.鈥�

Like Herritage, Sapp did plenty of research for her internship, preparing folders and more folders of information for Griffith鈥檚 role in various committee meetings.  

The research could be challenging at times, but it could be exciting. Both Sapp and Herritage said they were well prepared for the demanding roles.

鈥淚 can tell you the exact class I learned to do political research,鈥� Herritage said. 鈥淚t was the political inquiry course with [professor and chair of the Department of Political Science] Dr. Chapman Rackaway. He taught us how to write research papers. It's the most writing-intensive class we have, and every single thing that I had to do for my research papers in that class, I did for the research that I conducted at the Capitol. 

鈥淎ll the political science professors got me ready for the internship,鈥� she continued. 鈥淚 felt fully prepared by my Radford education.鈥�

Sapp, too, credits Radford faculty for not only preparing her for the internship with Griffith but also helping her earn the position. 

As she entered her sophomore year at Radford, political science Professor Paige Tan encouraged Sapp to go along on the trip with other political science majors to Washington, D.C. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to the White House, we鈥檙e going to the Capitol, and we鈥檒l do some networking; you should go,鈥� Sapp recalls Tan saying. But the Northern Virginia native had 鈥渄one all this before,鈥� she said. 

However, Tan eventually convinced Sapp to join the excursion, and there she met Radford alumnus Jeff MacKinnon 鈥�85. Their interaction soon led to Sapp interning for MacKinnon鈥檚 firm in D.C., and that connection led to her internship with Griffith a year later.

鈥淚 owe everything I鈥檝e done to Dr. Paige Tan and my other Radford professors because they have pushed me to get out there,鈥� Sapp said. 

澳门老奇人论坛 offers an education that encourages active participation, challenges students from the outset and provides early access to industry-aligned opportunities. As early as their freshman year, students get hands-on experience, including valuable internships and research opportunities. Every Radford student can engage in career-driven experiences that connect them meaningfully to their future profession.

For Herritage, the experience of gaining an internship was slightly different. She readily confesses that Wilson is her uncle. 鈥淵eah, there鈥檚 a little bit of nepotism,鈥� she said with a smile.

The genesis of her internship began years ago with conversations about politics around the table at holidays. 鈥淯ncle Joe,鈥� as she calls him, told Herritage he could intern with him anytime. 

鈥淚 wanted to wait until I was a senior at Radford,鈥� she said, 鈥渟o I had as much knowledge as possible and feel prepared.

Being the congressman鈥檚 niece didn鈥檛 make the job easier for Herritage. In fact, it may have made it more challenging. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e all fighting to stand out, and it didn't help that nepotism was the reason that got me there,鈥� Herritage said. 鈥淚 felt more like I had to prove myself.鈥�

It was 鈥渢errifying at first,鈥� she said, because many of the interns were honors students from larger colleges and universities, such as the University of South Carolina, Clemson University and some Ivy League schools.

鈥淭here were interns from some really impressive schools, and I was worried they were going to be more prepared than me,鈥� Herritage said, 鈥渂ut they weren鈥檛. They weren鈥檛 at all. Radford really prepared me well for this.鈥�