Senate 101: Interning with Senator Tom Carper

 

Megan Racinowski outside the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.

This semester, Megan Racinowski (sophomore, PSC major) is interning in Washington, DC, with Delaware Senator Tom Carper. She describes her experience in a guest blog post.

Senate 101: Interning with Senator Tom Carper

By Megan Racinowski

I approached Mr. Lamark Shaw early in my freshman year to discuss the Washington Internship Institute program. After our discussion I was ready to pack my bags and be off to DC, but I learned that I had to wait till at least my sophomore year to go on this journey. During my freshman year  I continued to work hard but was eager to find out what the future holds. When the time came, I sent in my application to the WII in August 2017 and got an acceptance letter the very next day. I was very excited to start this journey and to be able to try something out of my comfort zone.

"I have a strong passion for environmental work and being able to work with the committee allowed me to see first-hand a push for change in environmental policy in a time when this is so important."

Interning in Senator Tom Carper’s office is a very fun and important experience for me that is shaping the person I am becoming. The most important part for me is that Senator Carper is a ranking member on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, which brings close cooperation with the workers on the committee. I have a strong passion for environmental work and being able to work with the committee allowed me to see first-hand a push for change in environmental policy in a time when this is so important. As an intern in Senator Carper’s office I am given the freedom to follow my policy interests by attending many different committee hearings, and connecting with individuals in those policy realms. 

Megan with Senator Tom Carper (Delaware)

As an intern I do not answer phones all day, and often get to help with important tasks in the office varying from policy research for the Legislative Correspondents to helping get various Senators’ and Representatives’ signatures for co-sponsorship on legislation. One of the most memorable experiences from my internship was being able to get lunch with my fellow interns, my internship coordinator, and Senator Carper. Senator Carper always takes the time to personally meet with his interns and get to know them and their career goals. The Senator always made a point of saying hello to the interns and bringing interns into different meetings he would have. The atmosphere in the office was always welcoming and inviting, making me feel comfortable and excited to go to work every day. I will always cherish my time in Senator Carper’s office, and will continue to grow from my experience.

At work in Senator Carper's office

The WII program pushes students to become not only better people, but to become better students and workers as well. Students in the WII program's Inside Washington track take two different classes. One is a career seminar class and the another is a class of the student's choice, either in international relations or American politics. The career seminar class teaches students about presenting yourself within the job market and how to land the job of your dreams. Some of the activities in this class included a resume and cover letter workshop, mock job interviews, practicing an elevator speech, and discussing my career goals. 

My class on American politics has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and helped me gain self-confidence that I did not have before. I now feel comfortable to one day enter the job market, because I feel prepared and confident in myself and my ability.  The class emphasizes debating skills and how to have a good discussion with peers about controversial issues like gun-control, abortion, and marriage equality. In the polarized political climate we are currently living in, the class has forced me to hear other people’s opinions and to try to understand different perspectives on issues. My fellow classmates are all working at different places--ranging from think tanks, to lobbying firms, to Capitol Hill--and being able to talk to them about their experiences helps me grow as a person and learn about the job world. I appreciate that the internship is teaching me what it is like to work in an office environment. I think the experience I am getting through my internship will set me apart from peers when I enter the job market.
 

At the Women's March, January 2018

My time on the Hill is influencing my growth as a student and as a person. I am seeing how government actually works, getting hands-on experience within our government, and expanding my network.


The internship pushes me to take advantage of all the opportunities that come my way. My classes have helped me develop the skills I need to be successful in my future endeavors. I have grown and will continue to grow as a person from my internship/classes and am eager for my future. My internship has reignited the fire inside of me to fight for change and make a lasting difference in the world around me.

"My internship has reignited the fire inside of me to fight for change and make a lasting difference in the world around me."

For more information on the Washington Internship Institute, contact Mr. Lamark Shaw in Daemen's Career Services office.

Emily Kraft's Smithsonian internship

Emily Kraft is a junior History major and Public History minor who is interning at the Smithsonian Institution this semester through the Washington Internship Institute (WII). Emily was mentioned in a front-page story in The Washington Post on November 3, 2014. "A is for abacus, O is for outhouse seat," described the collection of educational artifacts that educator Richard Lodish is donating to the Smithsonian Institution. (Also see this NPR story.) Emily is assisting Smithsonian staff in sorting and cataloging these materials. 

 

In this guest blog post, Emily writes about what she has learned from the internship. She also explains how help from the Buffalo Chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Daemen History & Political Science Department made her internship possible.

Emily Kraft at the Smithsonian Institution

By Emily Kraft

My interest in history and public history has led me into the field of museum studies. Last fall, in my sophomore year, I was introduced to the Washington Internship Institute (WII) by a friend and by my advisor, Dr. Penny Messinger. This program pushes students out of their comfort zones by helping them find internships in their desired field as they live in Washington, D.C. for three and a half months. I commute to Daemen and I had never been away from home for more than a week, so coming to D.C. was a giant step for me. With the help of the History and Political Science Department I was determined to get out of my personal comfort zone and become an independent and professional young woman. I could not believe I was about to do this, but I was ready to embark on this journey in my life.

Richard Lodish shows educational artifcacts, photo from The Washington Post

Help from the AAUW made my internship possible 

I applied to the WII and got accepted in early November 2013. When I got my acceptance email I knew everything was real and that August could not come fast enough. As the rest of the semester went on, I started to think about how I would be able to fund this. I asked Dr. Messinger for suggestions for scholarships or grants and she recommended the Buffalo Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Chamberlain Loan and Grant award. I was not personally familiar with this award but she told me more about it and also introduced me to Judy Weidemann, an alumna of Daemen, who is an active member of the AAUW who was familiar with the Chamberlain Loan committee. 

I met Ms. Weidemann when I attended the Distinguished Alumni Award Dinner last fall. She was the most kind, compassionate and friendly lady when I talked to her about my future plans in Washington. She told me more about the Chamberlain Loan program and offered to help guide me through the process. I applied, and in late January, I learned that the committee was interested in my application and wanted to do a short interview. I went to a local library and sat around a table with about eight other women who each asked me questions about the program, my need for the money and my future plans/goals. A few months later I received an email of notification that I had received a thousand dollar loan and a grant from AAUW. I was grateful that they picked me from among many other applicants.

The AAUW has not only given me a sizeable award, but the award gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams in Washington, D.C. I have them to thank for being so generous and giving me confidence to take this leap of faith.

Emily Kraft

The WII 

When spring semester started, I began the process of continuing with my application for WII. I met often with Lamark Shaw in the Career Services Office, as well as other staff members. Jason Patrie was my WII advisor and helped me to decide where I wanted to intern. In early summer I sent out applications to the National Museum of American History, the Newseum, the International Spy Museum, Crime and Punishment, and several other museums in Old Town Alexandria. At the end of July, I started to get nervous because I hadn’t heard back from most places. One day I got a message on my phone from Ms. Debbie Schaefer-Jacobs, curator of the Division of Home and Community Life at the Smithsonian. She was interested in the skills I described on my application and said she would like to have me as an intern. This was my number one dream internship because I have always loved the Smithsonian. It was perfect for a person who loves museums. I was so proud of myself that I achieved something so prestigious.

Emily at work, sorting artifacts from the Lodish collection (photo courtesy Emily Kraft)

My work at the Smithsonian

Today, I am about halfway through my internship and working on accessioning a large school collection of about 900 items. The donor, Dr. Richard Lodish, was the headmaster for thirty years at Sidwell Friends School in Bethesda, MD. His collection includes hornbooks, primers, school desks, patriotic school bells and pencil boxes, alphabet boards, quilts, samplers, photographs and many more items. All the items are being stored in his home in Bethesda. It is my job to prepare the packing list for each visit along with the boxes, envelopes and bubble wrap needed to properly pack the items. My supervisor and I take weekly trips to his house for a few hours and use our packing list to find the items we need to take for that time. Dr. Lodish has been collecting these items for about forty years and he is very enthusiastic about the donation. He helps us look for the items on our list and take the packed boxes to our car.

Once back at the museum, we must unload everything onto carts at the loading dock. Other staff members help bring the artifacts up to our special storage space that I usually work in. After getting the objects safely upstairs, it is my job to take them off the cart and unpack them for temporary storage. I package each item with its own label so they can be easily identified for keeping track of them. Smaller items get put into special, acid-free boxes; prints or small samplers get put into acid free-folders; and other items either get put in boxes or put on bubble wrap. All items are covered in acid-free tissue and then a large piece of thick plastic.

What the internship has meant to me

Coming to Washington D.C. has been the most beneficial experience for me because it has allowed me to meet so many new people, to network, and to think about my future. At home I feel very disconnected from the outside world and D.C. seems far away. Surrounding myself in the culture of the city has allowed me to explore my interests and options. I have thought a lot about graduate school and more internships or studying abroad because I am much more motivated to take advantage of everything going on. I now have a few ideas for possible career options and I understand more about museums and living on my own in general. The Smithsonian is such an intricate institution with many offices and staff to talk to and learn from.

Moving forward, I am looking at graduate programs that have a concentration in museum studies. I am interested in archaeology, museum education, curation and archaeological survey.   

**You can learn more about Daemen's public history minor by contacting Dr. Penny Messinger; read about Daemen's affiliation with the Washington Internship Institute here or contact Lamark Shaw at Daemen's Career Services office.

What I Did Last Summer, Guest Blog by Tyler Vanice

Tyler Vanice is a History major (class of ’15) and Public History minor. In this guest blog post, he writes about his summer job working in public history.  His job built upon his 2013 internship with the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. Learn more about Daemen's many internship opportunities here. 

 

Tyler Vanice

ByTyler Vanice:

Last year I was accepted into the Washington Internship Institute and interned at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, VA. This spring, the Curator and Executive Director of the Memorial called me and offered me a job since they had liked my work as an intern. I couldn’t hold my excitement when I heard the news. I told them that I still have another year of school as I interned a year earlier than most people (in my sophomore year) but they were happy I was willing to work at least for the summer.

Some of my work this summer was tedious – like the weeks-long project of digitizing records from one Masonic Lodge. It was a long process that included chopping off the spines of the books, then feeding the pages into a machine, and waiting for the machine to complete its optical character recognition (OCR). This process was not difficult, but it was time-consuming. I learned the hard way to always make sure that the computer settings were correct when I had to rescan 120 books after I did not notice that the settings had changed. 

When I had finally finished digitizing, I was finally able to do the work I enjoyed the most, which was cataloging and inventorying the Memorials collection. The museum had received a large collection containing thousands of items from the Masonic Service Association (MSA). This included correspondence and various records dating back to the early 1920’s. These records were rescued from destruction; the MSA was clearing space to make room for new management and the records were being discarded before the Curator of the Memorial intervened. There was so many items that we didn’t know what to do with them so we left the project for another time. I was able to do a basic inventory before we quit. 
 

Artifacts awaiting processing

For the last month of my stay I was asked to sort and organize the file room for the Memorial since it had become a mess. I did not know what I got myself into when I agreed to take the task; it took me weeks to complete. I finished just in time for a researcher to use the room. 

I never realized how tiresome it is to work in a museum! I was told that when working in a museum, a person wears many hats and I found that out the hard way! I had enjoyed my experience down in D.C. just as much as I did the year before. I always enjoyed working with artifacts and being able to “play” with history. It was exciting to work alongside the Curator of the Memorial in all the projects that needed to be done.

D.C. is a marvelous place to be and I recommend everyone who has never visited should do so. For a person who enjoys working in museums, I sure had found the right place! The area offers a lot of history and places to visit; from the National Mall to George Washington’s tomb, D.C. offers a little bit of everything to everyone.

 
From researching, to cleaning, to stripping wax off the floors, I accomplished a lot over the summer. After working hard all summer and walking up the hill for work in the 90+ degree weather every day, I can say I had fun and enjoyed my experience as much as my first time I went down.  And in the end, it was worth all the work because I heard the magic words that everyone wants to hear; “I’d like to have you back next year.” 

It is a great relief to know that after I graduate from Daemen, that I will have a job waiting for me. D.C. offers a lot of different opportunities and I have the Washington Internship Institute to thank for giving me the chance to leave Buffalo and experience a new world.

Photos courtesy of Tyler Vanice