CONGRESSWOMAN JUDY BIGGERT
(ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN DISTRICT #13)
Karmen Wong

A student from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Karmen Wong also attended Tsinghua University (China’s equivalent of MIT) in Beijing in 2005. Karmen worked as a library aide at Northwestern University, a publicity chair on the college Executive Board, and a site leader for Northwestern University’s Development Corps. She is proficiency in both Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. Karmen applied to the Washington Internship Program in early April and requested a Capitol Hill internship for the summer with a Republican from Illinois since she both attends college and lives in that state. On May 24 WIP placed her with Congresswoman Judy Biggert, the Illinois Republican from District #13. Karmen worked in the Longworth House Office Building from late June through early September and lived in Logan House on 11th Street, N.W. along with other WIP and NAFEO (National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education) interns. Representative Biggert was so pleased with Karmen’s contribution that the Congresswoman spoke about her politics and career at a private breakfast, hosted by the Washington Internship Program within one of the congressional suites. Karmen tells about her exciting internship below:

“As my internship draws to a close, I feel that I’ve really enjoyed this summer working on Capitol Hill. Six months ago I would have never imagined that I would be here! I learned a lot at work and in the city, and I got to know interesting people. I looked at enough monuments, statues, and neoclassical architecture to make my head spin. Through an unofficial restaurant club formed by two friends and me, I experienced the culinary delights of several neighborhoods, and the WIP retreat was a fun escape into the ‘wilderness.’ In all, I really enjoyed living and working here.”

“The atmosphere in Congresswoman Judy Biggert’s office was relaxed and comfortable. I was somewhat relieved on the first day of work since I’d feared a strict office. In general, the community on Capitol Hill is rather friendly due to the high number of young staff members. Someone once joked that the only way to tell the interns from the staff was that ‘interns are always on cell phones while staffers are on Blackberrys.’ Indeed, the small age gap between the staff and the interns made it very easy to get to know each other. A strong camaraderie formed between the Congresswoman’s three interns, and these friendships certainly made for some amusing scenes in the office.”

“Intern-led tours of the Capitol building were times in the day that guaranteed a seventy to ninety-minute break from office developments. The process of deciding who got to lead the tour evolved into a high art. Often it came down to rock-paper-scissors, but there were also coin tosses and even talk of  paper-airplane contests. Sometimes winners led the tours; other times, they won the option of deciding who headed them. We used reverse psychology, probability, reversal of reverse psychology – anything to get the upper hand. Regardless of who won, the tours were spread pretty evenly among the interns.”

“The internship was a bit overwhelming at first. I wondered how I would ever memorize the way to the Capitol and all the different stories, descriptions, and dates. I’m shy in terms of public speaking, but fortunately I took two very useful classes during my spring quarter at Northwestern: ‘Museum Exhibitions’ and the ‘Art of Storytelling.’ Giving tours was the perfect application of what I had learned in the classroom. Everything had a story, and the Capitol itself was a museum.”

“I was nervous during those first few tours, and sometimes I made mistakes and felt incompetent. Even after I learned the tour, there were always things that made a guide’s job difficult – like large crowds or hyperactive children. In the end, however, I enjoyed giving tours. The rotunda never ceased to amaze me although I saw it over thirty times during my internship while giving my ‘nine million pounds of cast iron’ speech. Every time I talked about France E. Willard, the first female president of Northwestern University and whose statue is in Statuary Hall, I couldn’t help but swell with pride. Maybe I would feel differently if I gave tours of the Capitol for several years, but throughout the summer this opportunity never got old.”

“The best part of my internship was the chance to work with the staff on legislative issues. Each covered an area like health, agriculture, energy, or financial literacy. The interns were encouraged to identify topics of interest. Since I was interested in public relations, I started working with the press secretary. I helped her write press releases and attended a press conference. I was very happy that I got a chance to work with her since this fall I will be one of the people handling publicity for NCDC, a volunteer organization at school. Although publicity for college organizations mainly involve fliers and chalk ads on the sidewalk, learning how to write better will be helpful in connection with pieces for the school newspaper.”

“I discovered that coming to the Hill as an English major didn’t put me at any disadvantage over interns studying politics. Although many Capital-Hill interns do concentrate on government and political science, any major can find a place here. After all, a degree in American government probably won’t help a person understand the details of a bill dealing with alternate sources of energy. Many constituents who came on my tour asked if I’m headed toward law school. Sometimes they were surprised to learn that I’m studying Victorian literature.”

“At the event to which the Washington Internship Program took us within the Israeli Embassy, I had a conversation with a scientist who made a rather interesting comment about my field of study. He said that examining Victorian Britain gives many clues about modern America. The power (economic, cultural, and political) of the British Empire was similar to America’s place on the international scene today. In all, I liked the WIP events that were held outside the classroom at Georgetown University. These special activities were educational, and they also presented a great chance to meet people working throughout the city. The diverse organizations in Washington attract people with unique perspectives and experiences. Many were much older than I, and I enjoyed learning what they decided to do after graduation.”

“I made many friends within the program and Logan House. Although our interests and habits were different, the residents of Logan House got along pretty well. I think a part of that compatibility related to the fact that we all didn’t become very close. Bizarre as this statement sounds, it makes a lot of sense. Best friends often make bad roommates simply because both parties are too involved in each others’ lives. As housemates, we knew each other well enough to put on a pleasant face all the time, and we left the complaining and drama of everyday life to our relatives and friends back home.”

“When I told my mother over the phone about the different people I met, she replied enthusiastically, ‘See, you’ve made so many friends from everywhere!’ Doing so took very little effort on my part, which was truly an unexpected plus within this program. WIP drops you in a large group of people who have a high probability of sharing your interests. It’s impossible not to make good friends while in the Washington Internship Program. The best part is that a lot of these people are so geographically distant that you would never have met them otherwise.”

“Working and living in Washington has been a rewarding experience for me. I learned a lot about career choices and how to live on my own (without the help of a dorm and dining hall). Another intern asked me if I could imagine myself living here permanently. I though, ‘Yeah, I could get used to it.’ This city has its charms; it’s modern while holding onto its roots. I remember traveling to Beijing, which is a capitol city in its adolescence. It is still coming to terms with modernization and is a little awkward around the edges. Washington, on the other hand, seems happily settled. It moves along at a good pace, and there is always something new to discover.”

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