Not Goodbye, But See You Later
As I wrapped up my last day on the internship, I had many memories and experiences flash in my head throughout the day. It seemed as though that just yesterday, I was the “new kid” having to be taught how to do everything. Now, I was finishing up my last memorandum for the Congressman regarding H.R. 702.
While I’m extremely sad to leave all of the staffers and fellow interns, I’m also glad to have had the opportunity to serve as an intern for Congressman Boyle and the congressional district in which I live. Looking back on the three months I spent with the office, I can think of countless memories that brought both joy and fatigue. However, here are some of my most memorable moments:
The First Day
Just like a kid never forgets his first day of school or an athlete never forgets his first professional appearance, I will never forget my first day on the job. Wide-eyed and eager to get to work, I remember walking into the office severely over-dressed (that’s what happens after one year at Babson) and completely clueless as to what I would be doing. Much to my dismay, however, my first day on the job involved me completing the most menial and stereotypical intern tasks: cleaning and taking out the trash. I recall being so disappointed that I went home and actively searched for another internship. I was honestly scared that I had made the wrong decision in choosing to intern for Congressman Boyle. Fortunately for me, however, the first day turned out to be an anomaly as I got straight to work the next day.
Meeting Brendan
While interns working for large companies rarely get the pleasure of meeting their bosses, I had the opportunity to meet Congressman Brendan Boyle during my first event. The event was an awards ceremony held at a local school for Black-belt Taekwondo students. At this event, I even got to see the bossman in a Taekwondo uniform and black-belt! Although my interaction and conversation with him was certainly not a novel-length one, I was able to learn a lot more about his personality through the short interactions we did have. To this day, meeting Brendan sends chills down my spine! After all, he is one of the leaders of the Free World!
First Thank You
Part of job satisfaction is receiving praise and knowing that you did a good job. This is exactly what I felt when I received my first thank you email from a constituent. While the task itself was not one of extreme difficulty, the constituent’s genuine gratitude really made me want to do my best to help each and everyone one of my constituent cases.
4th of July
Probably one of the best times I had on the job was during Independence Day. As part of a congressional office, I had the opportunity to march in a couple of local parades with the congressman and other elected officials. Being able to throw candy out and seeing all of the people and staff members in a non-working environment really allowed me to have a good time. During one of the parades, I was even lucky enough to meet and connect with my 5th grade music teacher (what a small world it is!).
See You Later
Just like the first day of something is always memorable, so too is the last. Even when everyone had loads of work to do, they took the time out of their day to say goodbye and wish me good luck. Perhaps being around great people is what made my internship that much more memorable and enjoyable. While I left the office as an intern for the last time, I am sure that I will be back in the future as both a friend and constituent of Congressman Brendan Boyle.
While my work as an intern may be over, I will still be involved with the office as an off-site interpreter for Korean-speaking constituents. Because the 13th District of Pennsylvania is home to a healthy amount of Korean-Americans, I have volunteered to continue to assist the office in that way. While I worked as an unpaid intern, I feel that the amount of learning and experience I received along with the great people I was able to meet made the internship definitely worth my time. Not to mention the fact that I was able to work in the political realm, a field in which I have had deep interest for many years.