PLSC 370-01E

Dr. Endless
00001376002
Victoria Landa-Steinau
PLSC 370: Political Science Internship
E-Journal 4
December 3, 2015
As a congressional intern for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, I had the unique
opportunity to view the world through the lens of a politician. A position in which elected
officials are hired on the presupposition that they are the voice for the people they
represent. Instead of acting on the behalf of their beliefs, elected officials have the
responsibility of acting on the beliefs of their people. In theory, this sounds like a
reasonable task. However, it is quite the contrary. Throughout the duration of my time at
Representative Shakowskys Chicago District Office, I soon learned the disparity
amongst the opinions of the people she represented. Not only did the congresswoman
have to act in a way that would make her constituents happy, she also had to factor in her
own values and beliefs to make sure that she could act in such a way that would allow her
to sleep at night. Through this engaged learning experience, I learned how one must go
about compromising the opinions of othersas well as factoring in personal opinions
in order to act in such a way to please multiple parties.
Because of the opportunities my internship provided, I learned firsthand not only
the daily tasks the office completes but also about the connections between those tasks
and the role of our government on a larger scale. It is the responsibility of our
government to protect the state. In terms of a democracy, the role of this protection can
be very controversial. Again, referencing to the disparity amongst the opinions of the
Congresswomans constituents, it becomes very obvious that faith plays a major role in

shaping ones opinion. Because of the exposure I had to constituents concerns, my own
opinion was challenged and supported. I often found myself reflecting on theories and
practices that I have learned in the classroom and trying to relate what I learn to real
world applications.
I also enjoyed working with a woman who identified as Jewish. I was originally
brought up Jewish but was heavily influenced by Catholicism as I got older. Naturally,
Mormonism also heavily influenced me because I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Because of the Congresswomans religious identity, she got several calls asking for the
support or divestment of certain proposals. I found this interesting and often thought
about my own faith and how it would relate to my decisions if I held the position of an
elected official.
Although this internship provided me with rich information to reflect on, I was
also exposed to a lot of tangible information that I would not have been otherwise. For
example, I learned an ample amount of information about constituent services. I now
know exactly why one should call the Congresswoman. I also understand the complexity
of her job and why she must delegate her responsibilities to Constituent Advocates.
On a more technical note, I have fine-tuned some professional skills. I am more
than comfortable to answer the phone, screen callers, and transfer calls to the appropriate
people. I too feel confident when calling other prestigious organizationslike
Congressional Research Serviceson behalf of the Congresswoman. On top of these
skills, I know how to dress professionally, interview in a white-collar setting, send
congressional inquires, enter cases into Intranet Quoram, conduct case in-takes, and
provide constituents with congressional services. These are skills specific to a

congressional internship but they can also be transferred to other fields of work. I am so
grateful that I was awarded the opportunity to work at the Chicago District Office for the
Honorable Jan Schakowsky.