Let’s Hear It for the Interns
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
July 2, 2021
Identifying bills to cosponsor, writing memos on proposed legislation, answering constituent calls, and compiling news stories – this is a day in the life of an intern in my Congressional office.
With only 15 full-time staffers among our four offices, it requires a full team effort to optimally serve over 880,000 constituents across South Dakota and our interns play an integral part in making that happen.
As much as the internship program helps our offices run efficiently, it also provides our interns with a valuable educational experience.
From learning the basics of a professional office to better understanding the innerworkings of the legislative branch, to developing writing and policy analysis skills, a lot is to be gained over a semester or summer session.
A commonalty among our interns is that they grew up in or have ties to South Dakota, yet each one brings a unique perspective to the team.
Of our five current summer interns:
Nick grew up in West River and is currently studying economics and statistics.
Sydney graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and is heading to law school in the fall.
Jakob is currently pursuing his master’s in public administration at the University of South Dakota.
John is a rising sophomore studying economics and political science.
Leslie, our Ben Reifel intern is an educator at O’Kreek School and Sinte Gleska University.
South Dakota is full of many talented young people, and I am always impressed with the level of enthusiasm and creativity that our interns bring to work each day.
My office is now seeking applications for fall 2021. For more information on the internship program and how to apply, visit dustyjohnson.house.gov/services/internships.
No one day is the same while interning on Capitol Hill. Who knows, you may even get a chance to write a letter to the Speaker of the House.
Ben Reifel intern Leslie Crow meets with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
More than 120 interns, led by the interns of the Office of Representative Dusty Johnson, requested Speaker Pelosi reopen the U.S. Capitol to constituents.
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