One of the first things I was ever told about working in Sen. Sullivan’s D.C. office as an intern was that “you can make this internship your own”. In essence, given the great number of issues our government oversees and legislates, it is possible for any intern to directly work on, research, etc. things that are of special interest to them. For example, before the coronavirus pandemic, fellow interns who were interested in the finance sector were able to go to committee hearings involving the U.S. Treasury. Others were able to see witness testimony from higher ups in the armed forces as they testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. For my part, I’ve been able to see witness testimony from indigenous leaders and members of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Department of Energy in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. I’ve also been able to sit in on meetings with Alaska Native community leaders and regional representatives with members of our team and the Senator. During my time with the office, I have also been able to go to conferences concerning Alaska Native issues and meet with elders I never thought I’d be able to hear from, much less be able to talk to. In working with Sen. Sullivan’s office, I’ve been exposed to experiences I never could have pictured, during a time no one could have foreseen.
In being away from the office, experiences like these are fewer and further between, if not impossible. Yet, gratefully, I’ve still been able to dig into issues I care about while being away from the office. Online, I’ve been able to do more research into federal policy as it pertains to Alaska Native communities, regional corporations, etc. Learning more about ANCSA, ANILCA, and a litany of other pieces of legislation, I now feel like I’ve been able to learn about issues and individuals I care about holistically - first in person, now by research. Of course, there are still plenty of things I want to look into. There’s so much more I to learn and I think it’s amazing that I’m able to learn while I work. I haven’t been to many workplaces, but something tells me that learning and working about issues one truly cares about is a rare thing. Work, I’ve learned, can be tedious. Research can be beyond annoying. Writing and rewriting can be frustrating beyond belief. But working towards things one cares about, working towards something that inspires you, that isn’t work. It may be upsetting, but it isn’t an endless affliction. Completing a task under the umbrella of one’s inspiration is more of a triumph than a trial. Now, working on form letters, information memos, etc. and applying what I’ve learned to the task at hand, I feel more secure in my work. I feel like I’ve been able to make the fellowship my own, even as it’s changed. Though it ends soon, I’m happy to have seen it this far, and am proud to see it through to the end.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Mike Juvrud