OUT ON THE HILL is the official blog of the Victory Congressional Interns. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Learn more about the internship at victoryinstitute.org/vci.
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I had to. I just had to. Hear me out. In this day and age, many people my age question the existence of love. Of course, we had to fight for the right to even love each other. Despite the idea that this question may be an uphill battle, I have so much hope and love after this internship.
I came into this program a bit nervous to network. Little did I know that the best relationships I have made here are with the people in my cohort.
I am not very good at expressing my feelings in person, but this is a love letter for my fellow interns.
We all joked about feeling like we knew each other for years after the first two weeks of the programs. It was a joke…and then it suddenly wasn’t. We began to look for each other in a crowded room, especially at networking events. We would share a glance, take a step towards each other, and head for the refreshments table. As college students, we have to do our best.
The walks around the National Mall became my favorite activity to do. The monuments are beautiful, but I think it’s the long conversations we’ve had together there that made the mall memorable for me. They ranged from politics to fears about the future and the night usually ended with a sweet treat.
It is cliche to say this, but I’ve never met so many unique individuals who held so much love for each other, who they are, what they are currently doing, and what they want to do.
This type of environment was also found in my office. The first week of the office, I had no idea what I was doing. Day by day, I started to learn so much from our office staffers who were willing to answer any and all questions. They never shied away from asking us if we wanted a project to work on or if we were interested in going to a briefing. Our Chief of Staff consistently told us “Never be afraid to ask if you want to do something.”
With this newfound confidence in me and my fellow interns, I was always excited to walk into work. Other than the VCI cohort, our office cohort has been some of the best friends I’ve met during my summer. We had each other’s backs and let us fly with our own wings (a nudge to Oregon’s state motto).
I’m not sure of what I want to do, but I’m really excited about that. As the days passed in this internship, I never truly realized the extent of what I could do. Being in a place full of ambitious and passionate people who did look like me has given me a sense of hope.
This summer in a nutshell was a rollercoaster of self-development, a rise in confidence, and a hopeful heart for my future.
