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Hilary Clinton with Washington Workshops students
LEGISLATIVE STUDY AND TUTORIAL

Upon receiving a student's application, the Foundation staff contacts relevant offices to arrange the internship. Usually, this internship assignment corresponds to the applicant's interests and state origin. This assignment provides an optimum political benefit since students are working for their own state's interest. Along with Congressional office internships, we also offer placements in the Hall of States, non-profit organizations, and political campaign offices. The Foundation has an excellent reputation for matching students with the right internship sites, which often leads to establishing valuable networks.

These internships encompass a wide range of assignments, from legislative and issue research, covering committee hearings, to legislative correspondence, event organization, website support and press reviews. While all offices do assign interns substantive and challenging tasks, students should be aware that some of their daily assignments, while also important to the successful daily workings of the office, may be more administrative in scope (answering phones, filing, email and mail correspondence). Regardless of their actual duties, students enjoy the unique opportunity to witness, from an insiders' vantage, national politics as it happens.
 

The second component of the Washington Internship Experience is an optional research paper which encourages students to analyze the legislative process. In order to better understand the importance of the Legislative Branch in our Democracy, students examine the aspects and affects of actual legislative processes, like House Rules and Procedures or the Seniority System. Students can also choose an issue that has been or is currently being addressed by the legislature and examine how the process determines the course of that legislation. Students may choose any issue but their research project must demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the legislative process.

To accomplish their research, students have access to the virtually unlimited resources of Washington, D.C., including all Congressional committees and federal agencies. Additionally, because research is not usually conducted during congressional office hours, some students choose a topic that relates to ongoing work in their intern office. By choosing a topic of interest that is shared with coworkers, students gain access to resources already compiled, and also maximize potential contact with their fellow employees.

Throughout the project, each student’s work is facilitated by scheduled conferences with our academic monitor. Each student’s analysis of legislative politics and process culminates with an oral presentation and a ten or so page typed report submitted to the Seminar Director. The Foundation will award the author of the best paper a $500 scholarship towards his/ her college tuitions for Freshman year.

  
 
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