Chelsea Matzen is one lucky girl in a sea of students dying to have an internship in political science. A sophomore at AU, she is an intern for Speaker of the House, John Boehner. By making her own connections, making sure she met the right people and working extremely hard, she is now queen of the Hill.
HC: What is a typical day at work for you?
CM: I intern two days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The typical day is sorting mail and general office tasks. I also attend hearings and give tours to constituents.
HC: How did you get interested in this internship?
CM: I’m a political science major, and I knew I really needed some experience on Capitol Hill. Over the summer, I met the District Chief of Staff, and he encouraged me to apply for the internship. I had always been looking for a connection, and when I finally found one I couldn’t say “no.” Also, Boehner is from my home state, Ohio, and it’s always nice to make connections at home.
HC: Are you doing this internship for the political experience, or is there anything else you want to get out of it?
CM: I did this to really get a feel of what it’s like to work on Capitol Hill because I’m not super sure of what I want to do with my future. Right now, they are working on the Farm Bill, and I’m really interested in agricultural, so it was important for me to intern this semester.
HC: So did you choose AU for the political science aspect?
CM: Yeah, I basically had applied to every other school for communications and AU was the only one that I chose for political science. After finding out all the schools I got into, I narrowed down my choices and what it really came down to was AU was in Washington and had a ton of connections.
HC: Do you think your future is going to be here in D.C.?
CM: I think my future will either be here in D.C., definitely, or if I go back to Ohio I’ll move to Columbus and hopefully work for the state legislator.
HC: Do you have a favorite spot on campus?
CM: Yeah! I love the amphitheater. I don’t really get to go there much, but when it’s a sunny day, I love to bring my books there and just study. Everything is so green and gorgeous. Not a ton of people are there either.
HC: You mentioned to me before that you wanted to travel abroad. Any ideas where?
CM: I’m pretty positive I’m going to Brussels, Belgium. I just got my fingerprints done the other day, so it’s pretty much planned! They have the second highest lobbiest rate behind the U.S., and that’s a possible career choice, so it’s perfect.
HC: Is there any advice you would give freshman or early students trying to get a political science internship?
CM: I’d say think about what you’re interested in and what you need to get experience in. Start talking to people and make as many connections as you can by going to every single networking event you can. Also, make sure you start applying early so you can have options. Finally, if you go to AU, if there is something I could stress, it would be taking the prerequisite for your internship. I had a lot of trouble with this and I wouldn’t want anyone else to have trouble either.
Chelsea is definitely going places—I’m not just talking about abroad. She made a goal for herself and took advantage of her connections, which is the best way to get the internship you want. So, follow her advice and maybe take some study time at the amphitheater to get your future going!