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This is the sort of golden opportunity that dedicated activists might well seek. Each elected official, whether at the municipal, state, or federal level, has different duties they assign to interns. The learning and networking can be an outstanding foray into the mechanics and bureaucratic mysteries that result in public policy.
"To the students that are thinking of going into government, politics, and/or law, this is a life-changing internship that will prepare you for those jobs," said Cheyenne Yap, a political science student at St. Martin's University in Washington State. What did she learn and experience? "This internship consists of doing policy research, constituent casework and correspondence, and being involved with the Civic Education program as well."[1]
What about legislative internships at the federal level? The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences has granular advice[2] for aspiring players in our democracy, including to apply for internships with the congressional committee that deals with an area of special interest to the intern, which they say is more valuable for someone vitally interested in helping shape public policy than interning for an individual member of Congress.
They also note, "Internships are just as political as the rest of Congress. Many internships are awarded not only for merit but also based on where you are from. Consider a committee or subcommittee chaired by a Congressmen [sic] or Senator from your home state."
Just to keep it weird, some Congressional interns were celebrities[3] before, during, or after their internships--e.g., Marisa Tomei, Ben Savage, Michael Thomas, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Bill Gates, Conan O'Brien. Perhaps the halls of Congress alienate them enough to drive them to other work--or, perhaps that internship cements their lifelong interest in participating in democracy. After all, Sigourney Weaver has given speeches at Democratic National Conventions and Conan O'Brien has interviewed many illustrious politicians on his late night program.
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