Reaching the Hill
by: Katerina Marroquin
“Breathe.” I kept telling myself that over and over as I sat down in front of my work computer waiting for the first intern meeting to start. Despite the physical absence of the office space, the intimidation of starting a new position and meeting a new team was very much present. Especially when the new team was working for a Senator in the U.S. Senate.
In my head, I understood this anxious feeling was nothing new for me. As the first person in my Latinx immigrant family to graduate from college, I am no stranger to the feelings of imposter syndrome, being the only Latina and/or queer person in the room, and the overwhelming sentiment that I must work twice as hard to keep up. Living in Washington, D.C. as a Georgetown University student for the past four years has prepared me tremendously for these moments of stress and the political awareness and rigor that would be expected of me at my office placement. I basically lived in the backyard of Capitol Hill, as my university sat only about 2 miles west from the National Mall, and I would often venture to the surrounding neighborhoods and always find myself passing by the monuments most weekends. It became a familiar place for me. However, life working in politics was an unfamiliar world to me. Many of my peers, professors, and mentors worked in governmental affairs, and yet, I devoted my undergraduate career to uplifting the narratives and movements that people of disenfranchised communities created to make a better society for all. I believed my place was working with communities that felt like the government was not on their side, through nonprofits organizations or research. I never knew that one day I would be working in a Congressional office, a space that seemed so unreachable at one point in time.
My reflection time was up when the intern coordinator for the Office of Senator Tammy Baldwin appeared on the screen with my two fellow interns. After quick introductions and a run-through of our orientation and training, we were off with our assignments for the week. I was surprised and content with how much I was learning through hands-on experience in a virtual internship in just a few days, ranging from how to sort and code IQ messages, networking on the Hill, to constituent outreach. Working for a Senator who strongly believes in community outreach is a blessing, as I know first-hand how important it is to work with community members and listen to their stories and works of activism.
My experiences in organizing and grassroots movements have granted me a dual perspective in my work as a Victory Congressional Intern, primarily when reading and coding the hundreds of messages from constituents across Wisconsin. During the times I called my home state Senators and Representatives to address the needs of immigrant rights, health equity, and educational equity nationwide, I always wondered about the process on the other side of the phone or computer screen. Would anyone read my message? Would anyone care what one single person said about a certain bill? Does anyone even understand what my fellow community members and I go through on a daily basis as a person of color, a child of immigrants, a queer person, a young adult living through times of social strife and protest?
It brings me some peace of mind that there are passionate people on both sides of the process, as I, along with my fellow Victory Institute interns, are taking up necessary space in these Congressional offices to continue the work and legacy of LGBTQ+ activists and leaders before us. After one week of working in the virtual office, I feel much more confident and ready to take on new assignments given to me thanks to the assistance and kindness shown to me by the staff and other interns in the office and the incredible team at Victory Institute. With their endless support, I know I can continue my mission of breaking down the obstacles to “unreachable” goals for future leaders and build the resilience and strength necessary to fight for justice and equity on the Hill and beyond.
The Virtual Black Sheep
by: Janise Waites
Happy Pride! The best thing about being bisexual is the fact that my favorite color is on the flag. The worst thing is, well, the bigotry. It’s been two weeks since starting my summer internship with VCI. I was a part of the Spring 2021 cohort and have enjoyed being with Victory and meeting new people for the past six months. My new mantra the last few weeks has been “I am overwhelming grateful for the life I have created for myself.”
As a rising senior, virtual internships are my forte. The past two weeks reminded me how skilled I am in setting up my equipment, creating a work-from-home routine, and asking the right questions on how to get started. I am grateful to be interning in such an organized office this summer, one where I know everyone’s schedules, and which staffers I am expected to work with throughout the internship.
Unfortunately, virtual internships are not the norm. A secret fear I have is not being qualified when I apply to opportunities in person. And if I am selected, then I’ll be a black sheep because I am sure everyone else had an in-person internship. This fear, however, is invalidated by two things. One, as long as I did a good job and learned something new, it doesn’t matter how I did my internship. And two, as I am Black, female, and bisexual, I am the epitome of the “black sheep.” My experiences have made me resilient, and as long as I believe I am resilient, I have nothing to fear.
What comforts me is knowing that there are 15 other people feeling the same way I do despite being equally amazing because we all were selected for the Victory Congressional Internship together. Yet, we all experience imposter syndrome, feeling as though we are not good enough for the offices, we are currently working in or for the VCI program we were handpicked to be a part of. It’s ironic to work so hard to achieve something and then believe you’re not good enough once you get it.
But when a fair amount of society tells you that you’re not good enough for anything because you’re Black, female, and bi, it is very hard to celebrate your wins. My goal for this internship is to celebrate my wins, while being in love with every one of my identities.
