HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI (CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT DISTRICT #8)
Solomon Abraham Stavis

A graduate of San Francisco State University in California, Solomon Stavis majored in government and international affairs. He was awarded a full scholarship to the Washington Internship Program by the former director of the Golden Gate Bridge, under whom Solomon had coordinated student activities associated with the city’s transportation system. Solomon traveled in the past to Italy, Spain, France, Britain, and Holland, and he studied both Spanish and Italian. Solomon asked for a placement on Capital Hill when he applied in mid May, and despite the late date the Washington Internship Program was able to place him within ten days at an internship with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi – a Democrat from California’s District #8. Solomon worked for the congresswoman in the Rayburn House Office Building from June through August. Throughout the summer and upcoming year, Solomon lived at Logan House on 11th Street, N.W., which WIP purchased in May 2006 for interns working in the Senate or House of Representatives, among other downtown placements. A three-story blue townhouse with an outdoor Jacuzzi on one of its three decks, Logan House also has three kitchens, a living room, and a study plus a rock-garden out front. Solomon recalls his first days in D.C. and subsequent experience:         
                                                                                                    
“Upon my arrival in Washington, the gleaming Roman architecture seemed untouchable, but the Washington Internship Program allowed me direct access to those halls and the chance to participate in our democracy. My first day in the congressional office of the Minority Leader was unexpectedly pleasant. I was assigned to the environmental policy department. In the beginning, my supervisor required me to enter data into a computer and create spreadsheets, but soon I was asked to attend a policy meeting with her and take notes. The meeting addressed whether the Supreme Court was right when it made changes in the Clean Water Act. At the end of the proceedings, I was instructed to write a memo detailing for absent colleagues in the office. The following day, instead of laboriously performing computer work, I attended three policy meetings where my job was to gather pamphlets and write memos. I was ecstatic. At the first meeting, I observed senior advisors to Congress. A panel of distinguished individuals hoped to convince the legislators to adopt a bill that would require every school-bus in the United States to be retrofitted with a gadget that would lower the amount of greenhouse gases emitted. I found the conference extremely interesting. Never before had I been on the front lines where laws were being enacted. I was given a front-row seat on actions that could change the future of our country.”
            “During the course of my internship I also conducted research for Wendell Primus, a senior policy advisor to Nancy Pelosi. Most of the topics about which I wrote involved environmental issues like earthquake detection or the uses of hydrogen. My job was to search websites, pick out relevant information, and consolidate it. The next week I spent much of my time writing letters to constituents and thank-you notes to different organizations. One letter I remember well was a missive of appreciation to the NAACP. Although other senior-policy analysts later edited my draft, it was exhilarating to write the first version of a document that would bear the signature of Nancy Pelosi. Much of my day was consumed by making copies, delivering mail, and interacting with staff members. However, three times a week these duties were interrupted by serious lectures I attended that were scheduled especially for Capitol-Hill interns. I had the honor of listening to Majority Leader John Boehner, Congressman Jeff Flake, Donald Rumsfeld, Ralph Nader, and John McCain, to name just a few of the speakers. Each described a rich personal history and the path that led him to the world of politics. I majored in government and foreign affairs in college, but this time marked the first occasion when the people who were teaching me where individuals I had actually studied. I was honored to ask General Colin Powell his views on the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah.”

Canoeing during WIP retreat at Wintergreen Resort Solomon Stavis (second from right), Devansh Patel (far right) NAFEO interns Ryan Mitchell and Jimae Mjlawal (left of Solomon)

RANDSTAD STAFFING AGENCY

After Solomon completed his summer internship in the U.S. House of Representatives, he needed a paid job while preparing for graduate studies – preferably at Georgetown University. The Washington Internship Program found Solomon a full-time paid position at Randstad Staffing Agency, where WIP’s Assistant Director David Halpern used to work, and Solomon was offered a substantial salary and possibly payment for graduate work at Georgetown. Solomon started his job at Randstad in early September, and almost immediately the company detailed him to job at Georgetown University where Solomon was hired as an assistant to the Director of Development Programs.   

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