(Remote) Intern Chronicles: Chris Lin
My (Remote) Congressional Internship Experience in the Office of Rep. Seth Moulton [D, MA]
My virtual internship this summer turned out to be far more interesting and challenging than I had originally anticipated. I applied for summer internships just as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to affect daily life. States had begun restricting travel and enforcing stay-at-home orders. I assumed internship opportunities would be canceled but, to my surprise, a few weeks after submitting my application to the office of Representative Seth Moulton, I heard back to schedule an interview. During the interview, I learned that both the D.C. and district offices would most likely remain closed for the summer, and the staff was working hard to adapt the internship to a virtual experience. The following month, I received confirmation of my selection for the summer 2020 intern cohort. I was excited beyond belief for the opportunity but also curious to see how the experience would be impacted by the pandemic.
Congressman Moulton’s office used technology to create a meaningful and fulfilling virtual experience for the summer interns. I participated in meetings and briefings on platforms such as BlueJeans and Zoom. Using Slack as the primary means of communication was incredible; I was able to reach out to any individual in both the district and D.C. office at the click of a button. These tools made it possible for me to interact with staff from the D.C. office and take on policy projects that would not have been normally available to a district office intern. For example, I helped research and write a report on the environmental impact of electric vehicles.
For someone who has attended boarding school for the past three years, I found that I appreciated the flexibility of working virtually from home. Whenever I needed a quick break from all the work, I could simply walk downstairs and talk to my parents. I have cherished the additional time spent with family these past few months.
My favorite aspect of the internship was definitely interacting with and helping the constituents. Due to the ongoing pandemic, most of these interactions consisted of helping constituents receive COVID-19 unemployment insurance. A major motivation for my interest in pursuing an internship in public service is my desire to create a positive impact in my community. It was extremely meaningful to be able to connect with constituents, hear their life stories and get to know them as people, and aid them in receiving missed stimulus checks or unemployment insurance. I was both moved and impacted by the number of people I could connect with and help through this internship, as these payments would sometimes help people pay for their next month’s rent.
Obviously, there are aspects of an in-person summer experience in the office a virtual internship could not replicate. Aside from a handful of individuals I reported to, there were limited opportunities to interact and get to know other staff members in the office. Small talk was not easy over Slack, and most of my conversations with the staff concerned ongoing projects. I also interacted with fellow office interns far less frequently than I would have liked or expected. Other than a handful of times I paired up with another intern to work on a project, there were very few opportunities for us to talk and share individual work experiences.
The office did recognize these issues, however, and organized several “virtual lunch meetings” for the interns where I talked to different members of Congressman Moulton’s team as well as students interning in other congressional offices. In my opinion, these experiences were amazing and enriched my internship, and I would strongly urge other congressional offices to organize frequent virtual lunches for interns across the country to come together and share their unique experiences working in different offices.
Despite all of the difficult circumstances, I am extremely grateful to have served the 6th District this summer. In addition to meeting some of the most wonderful and friendly people (special shoutout to Isis and Neesha), I learned a lot about different federal programs and agencies through various projects and how a congressional office functions and conducts daily tasks. My experiences have only served to strengthen my interest in public service, and I look to continue interning at a congressional office, perhaps on Capitol Hill, next year.
Chris Lin is a rising senior at Choate Rosemary Hall in the John F. Kennedy Program in Government and Public Service, a special academic concentration for students possessing demonstrated interest in political science and economics.
