Student achieves internship with congress

Alexandra Walborn, a junior at BYU–Idaho, procured an internship with Congressman Peter Hoekstra from the second congressional district of Michigan.

Walborn has had the opportunity to be a disciple leader while she has been interning in Washington, D.C. When her co-workers found out that she was a member of the church, they responded with, “That explains a lot”.

“I think it is great how no matter where we go people are always watching us, observing how we will act under certain pressure. I'd like to think the reason those staffers reacted that way means I'm setting an example of discipleship here,” Walborn said.

According to Walborn, her co-workers have respected her because she has upheld her standards[i1].

“My co staffers have treated me differently; they don't swear in conversation with me, like they do in casual conversation with each other, and they seem to trust me more and more every day in the office,” Walborn said.

Obtaining an internship in Washington, D.C. is very competitive. Most congressional internship positions go to seniors, but Walborn has just finished her sophomore year, and will begin her junior year in January.

Walborn is a native to Shelby, Michigan, which is in the second congressional district of Michigan.

“I did have a couple of things going for me: first, each congressional office favors intern applicants from their[i2] own congressional district and second there is more competition in the summer than the fall,” Walborn said.

[i3]Walborn says she is an English major and wants to have a career in writing.

“I wanted to intern in D.C. to work to improve my writing skills and possibly see if I might ever be interested in press work.” Walborn says.

The qualifications for an internship in Hoekstra’s office require knowledge of American government, a subject that Walborn was not very familiar with, being an English major.

“I'm not a political science major, so it took some time to get caught up to speed with all the terminology. To anyone thinking about working for the federal government, don't feel discouraged from applying for an internship just because you aren't a political science major. All you have to be willing to do is pay attention to detail and come ready to learn.”

Interns in Hoekstra’s office are responsible to assist the staff, prepare correspondence for the legislative staff, answer constituent inquiries, conduct research, and help with day to day operations, according to Hoekstra’s websitehttp://hoekstra.house.gov/ConstituentServices/internships.htm