Alex Stout'07
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For eight months I interned in the Washington, D.C. office of Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., the representative from the Second Congressional District of Georgia.  I have been active in politics for many years – volunteering and organizing for campaigns – but this was my first time working in government itself.

When the Congressman’s communications director left the office in February, I volunteered to manage those responsibilities until someone permanent could be hired.  So I began writing speeches for the Congressman, drafting press releases, and even statements to be read on the House Floor.  Within a few weeks I was doing the job full-time, and spending a lot of time with senior staffers and the Congressman developing language and ideas.

My internship yielded me many other tremendous opportunities.  I attended the State of the Union as the Congressman’s guest; sat on the House Floor for a speech by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the President of Liberia; got a personal tour of the Capitol dome; had one-on-one meetings with Congressmen to discuss a research paper; and met dozens of amazing people at briefings, receptions, and meetings.

Towards the end of my internship, I accompanied Congressman Bishop in his district in Southwest Georgia.  Being from suburban New Jersey, the intensely rural area was something I had never experienced.  It was an incredible opportunity for me to meet new people and better understand the region and the constituents for whom I had been working in Washington.

This internship really changed my way of thinking and brought me into contact with incredible people who are now lifelong friends.  I learned new things about myself and about my country and I will never forget the opportunities I was afforded.

-Alex Stout '07


STout and Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
Alex Stout '07and Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.


   
 
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA 17013