University of North Carolina Athletics
Beth Olen Back At UNC After Capital Summer
August 30, 2000 | Softball
Aug. 30, 2000
This past summer I spent four weeks in Washington, D.C., interning for Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. There were seven other interns besides myself, and we were assigned to a number of different areas.
I worked mostly with the mail department, opening all the mail that the senator received and sorting it. Hundreds of letters and packages from constituents came in daily, and we were in charge of seeing that each of those letters received a response. Opening the mail was quite entertaining. The things people write to their senator about vary drastically, and some are down right laughable. In addition to my mail sorting responsibilities, I helped with constituent mail. I proofread letters and spent a large amount of time entering data such as addresses into the computer.
I attended several different hearings on topics such as federalism and education reform. There was a weekly lecture series given to interns that featured such speakers as Cokie Roberts, Jack Kemp and Janet Reno. These lectures were specifically designed for the interns working on Capitol Hill, and therefore addressed issues that affected college and high school students.
The intern supervisor setup a number of tours for us to do during work hours, which always provided for a nice break. We toured the Holocaust Museum, the Library of Congress, the FBI building, the White House and several others.
On the last day of work, Senator Sessions treated all the interns to lunch in the senators' dining room. The restaurant is located in the lower level of the capitol building and is famous for its black bean soup.
Through my internship, I learned a great deal about the operations of the federal government. Overall it was an educational experience and I enjoyed living in our nation's capital.
