This week, I spent most of my time collating my notes into one cohesive document. Attempting to bind together all the nuances inherent within any aspect of Federal-Indian relations, I spent a fair amount of my time deciding between sharing what I felt might be too nuanced information and too simplistic of an explanation. For the staff members soon to be reading it, I sincerely hope my account of the topics presented are coherent so much as they may be cogent.
Otherwise, this week felt very melancholy to me. Being my last week with the Senator, I didn’t want to face the truth that, in just a few days, I won’t be talking to constituents anymore. I won’t be looking into pieces of legislation. I don’t have to keep up with the news so intensely. I won’t need to know the ins and outs of SBA loans programs, the intricacies of dealing with the IRS, nor anything about substantive federal responses to the coronavirus pandemic. I also won’t be talking to co-workers in the same way. There will be no favors for Erin, tasks from Bre, calls with Marcus, or catch-ups with Allison. At least for the next few months, I likely won’t be in contact with Ryan, Greg, or Kate. I won’t be routing casework to Jocelyn or Rachel. In essence, I’ll be apart from a collection of co-workers I’ve taken to be a sort of work family. Though I now look forward to working with the First Alaskans Institute again through their Summer Internship Program, I do hope to be able to come back in the fall in order to continue working with the Senator and the D.C. office. It is my hope that, as school again draws me to D.C. in the fall, that I may again serve my fellow Alaskans in working with the Senator. This fellowship has afforded me so many beneficial opportunities, even amidst the time of impeachment and the coronavirus pandemic. Through it, I have learned more about myself as well as the world around me. More about my people and our history. And more about what I can do to be an effective changemaker in the years to come. So, while I leave now in working elsewhere, I hope this isn’t the end of my time with the Senator, nor the end of my time being a representative for the Native people of Alaska.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Mike Juvrud