The early days of public service
Many students in LAS move on to careers in politics, legislation, and other roles in government. A common stepping stone for such students is an internship in an elected official’s office. We asked a few current students about their experiences as interns for various offices and positions—from Illinois state representatives to the White House—and how it helped them shape their ideas about the future.
Emma Murphy
Emma Murphy is a senior studying gender and women’s studies along with political science with a concentration in public policy and democratic institutions. She became interested in political science at Homewood high school, where she was the school newspaper editor and chief and would read The New York Times every day.
“I see legislation and working in politics as a way to help people,” said Murphy. “I really enjoy the policy side of a lot of things, and especially because that's what impacts us on the daily basis.”
Murphy is now the president of the U of I student organization Illinois Democrats. In the summer before her junior year Murphy was admitted to the Illinois in Washington program, which offers U of I students an academic and internship experience in Washington, D.C.
Through the program, Murphy spent this past spring semester interning at Capitol Hill in the office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. Murphy worked on Durbin’s energy and environment team, along with the press team.
She said she is glad that she got to do substantial and important work as an intern. “My favorite part of working in D.C. and being there was the work that I got to do in Senator Durbin's office,” said Murphy.
She worked on two major projects on Durbin’s energy and environment team. For one, she contributed to the research and legislation of PFAS, a so-called “forever” chemical that is in many home and food items that is potentially harmful to humans.
She also researched the Cahokia Heights sewage disaster in Illinois. Along with those projects, Murphy kept very busy working on Durbin’s press team. She did things like help organize a press conference during a huge Senate big-tech hearing with apps like TikTok and Snapchat. The hearing was about child exploitation on social media apps.
Murphy credits Andrea Mayer, visiting director of the Illinois in Washington program, with creating many opportunities throughout the program. “The program is very enriching, and (she) really cares about the experiences that we have,” said Murphy.
Several of the experiences brought Murphy and other interns into the White House compound.
“We got to meet in the (Eisenhower) Executive Office Building with members of Biden's administration on how to get jobs in in the White House after we graduate, or how to become a political appointee,” said Murphy.
Josh Ellison
Josh Ellison is a junior studying political science and minoring in legal studies. He is a part of the Marching Illini on campus and also helped found Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG, at U of I, which works on issues ranging from environmental and consumer protection to hunger and homelessness.
He was admitted to the Illinois in Washington program and went to Washington, D.C., this past spring at the same time as Murphy. Ellison interned under U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, whom he had worked for the previous summer.
Ellison found working under in Schneider’s office very fulfilling. “That feeling that what you do actually is important, and helps your boss do his job better, it gives you a sense of self-worth,” said Ellison.
He worked on things such as helping with case briefings, writing memos, and responding to calls. His work would correlate with Schneider’s daily plans, with Ellison often observing and taking notes during meetings with lobbyists.
During one of the meetings, Ellison got to interact directly with the lobbyists. “It was a great experience because it really felt like I was getting involved with what was going on in the office,” said Ellison. “I really enjoyed talking with folks in that field and getting their insight on why they care so much about what they advocate for.”
When he worked in Schneider’s district office in Illinois, Ellison said he spent a lot of time helping callers renew their passports. In D.C., the phone calls he received were much more opinion calls.
“It’s a lot more of navigating through how the congressman operates in Washington rather than at the district office, where it’s about the congressman interacting and helping out his constituents in his district,” Ellison said.
Both Ellison and Murphy said one of their favorite moments was getting to meet former Chief Medical Advisor to the President Anthony Fauci. They both met Fauci at the U of I System Day in D.C.
“I would say D.C. was life-changing for me, and it was very interesting to realize as you're there that this is a place I can live in for the rest of my life,” said Ellison. “If you're at all interested in politics or in law, or any fields that are heavily concentrated in these, going there helps you realize that's really where you want to be in your life and really what you want to do in life.”
Abigail Estrada
By pursuing a digital strategy internship at the White House last spring, Abigail Estrada has gotten hands-on experience that she feels is invaluable. Estrada, a senior majoring in gender and women’s studies, hopes to pursue tech policy after college and use technology to protect both underrepresented individuals and communities. While the White House internship was not Estrada’s first internship, it did provide her with unique skillsets and opportunities.
“One of the main skills I gained was learning how to communicate properly and effectively,” Estrada explained. “As a White House intern, a lot of the products you are working on are fast-paced and not every day looks the same.”
Some of her main responsibilities included creating projects for White House events like Take Your Kid to Work Day and helping to maintain White House social media accounts by copywriting and pitching post ideas. Estrada said it was rewarding to be heard and see her ideas come to life.
For the White House’s Take Your Kid to Work event, Estrada pitched a project that allowed the children to write down what they would do if they were president for a day. The children's answers were then posted to social media by the White House account.
“It was just hearing about the issues that were relevant to these younger generations that was really impactful,” Estrada said.
Fostering community engagement is at the core of much of the work Estrada does. From her work as an event planner for the Office of Student Trustees on campus to starting a new chapter for political leadership organization Illinois Ignite UIUC, Estrada spends her time being active within her community and trying to learn as much as she can.
Reflecting on her time as a White House intern, Estrada expressed gratitude for the experience as it gave her a chance to live in a new place, create meaningful network connections, and work in a creative environment. Estrada recommends legislative internships to all students, not just those studying political science or gender and women's studies.
“We need all different walks of life to assist with this work and these policies because every person has their own skill sets and ways to contribute,” Estrada said. “Having people be informed is really powerful. By having people that are not simply policy majors is really important to reach new people and make sure more people are informed.”
Adriana Serrano Matsumoto
Taking the risk of applying for an internship can be frightening for any student. When Adriana Matsumoto, now a senior studying political science and Latina/Latino studies, applied for her internship with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, she was not only following a goal to work on important legislative issues like immigration, but she was the first in her family to get such a role.
“You don’t often see people with backgrounds like mine. Both my parents are immigrants, and my dad didn’t have the opportunity to graduate high school, so being on Capitol Hill was completely uncharted territory,” Matsumoto said. “I struggled a lot with imposter syndrome coming into the internship, but I had to remind myself that I earned this internship for a reason and the whole point for me to be in this program was to learn and to gain experience.”
Matsumoto spent spring 2024 working for Durbin. She challenged herself to throw herself into the internship even though she had felt uncertain. Matsumoto is a first-generation Latina-Asian American student. She has pursued experiences that propel her desire to serve in government and represent her cultural community.
Before her D.C. internship, Matsumoto interned for Illinois State Rep. Elisabeth Hernandez and U.S. Rep. Jesús Chuy Garcia of Illinois. In both roles, she aided with campaigns and events that focused on immigration and local community organizations.
It didn’t take long for her to feel sure about herself when she arrived at Capitol Hill to work in Durbin’s office. Her main responsibilities were tracking and compiling health updates across Illinois and meeting with Illinois constituent organizations. It was a unique opportunity for Matsumoto.
“Working in governmental affairs was surreal, walking past leaders I’d admired for years, and building friendships with fellow interns and people from various organizations added so much to the experience,” Matsumoto said. “Conducting research on issues close to my heart, like healthcare disparities, was deeply fulfilling, and being in D.C. kept me immersed in current events, giving me a richer, firsthand perspective on the stories we usually see only in the news.”
She added: “As a first-generation Latina-Asian college student, one major takeaway from this experience was the realization of the underrepresentation of people like me in the legislative system,” Matsumoto said. “Being one of the few people of color, highlighted the lack of diversity in policymaking roles and served as a strong motivator for me. It reinforced the idea that we deserve to make ourselves known in these spaces and that there is still so much work to be done to ensure diverse voices are represented in legislative discussions.”
