12.09.22

Naperville, Illinois, Student Interns In Durbin’s Washington, D.C. Office

WASHINGTON – Naperville, Illinois, native Charlotte Ives spent this fall interning for U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), working behind the scenes in the Senator’s Capitol Hill office as an intern. 

“I started my career on Capitol Hill as a college intern for Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois,” Durbin said. “I will never forget that day in February of 1966 when he agreed to hire me as an intern to work in his office.  As a student from East St. Louis, Illinois, going to work in the office of a U.S. Senator was one of the most exciting things I had ever done.  I know what a valuable experience it can be and we strive to make sure all of our students get a glimpse into the workings of the United States Senate.”

Charlotte is a senior at Marquette University and a Les Aspin Scholar, majoring in English and minoring in political science and communication studies. Over the course of her undergraduate career, she has interned in Wisconsin Governor Ever’s Milwaukee Office, tutored for the nationally recognized Ott Memorial Writing Center, wrote and edited for the Marquette WIRE, and spear-headed Marquette’s TEDx chapter. In Senator Durbin’s D.C. office, she had the opportunity to support the staff as a press intern. Charlotte is particularly interested in education and environmentalism, and hopes to one day be a political speechwriter. 

“I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to work as a press intern in Senator Durbin’s D.C. office,”Charlotte said. “It gave me unique insight into the legislative process and the mechanics of representation. This has been an unparalleled learning experience for me. I am grateful for the warm welcome and guidance I received from Senator Durbin’s excellent staff, and will look to them as the gold standard for professional comradery moving forward. If given the chance, I would do it over in an instant.” 

The intern responsibilities include assisting full-time staff in responding to constituent related topics, assisting with information inquiries, attending committee and agency hearings and briefings, researching legislative issues and policy questions, and observing floor proceedings.  During that time, the students gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the federal government, and develop valuable research skills.

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