Imagine waking up on a cold Monday morning, getting ready for the day and walking to work in the very heart of Washington D.C. Sophomore political science major, Antonio Santiago is living this reality for a semester, thanks to the “Eagles in D.C.” legislative internship program.

This program is designed for all students, despite their area of study, to work closely with representatives and legislatures working in the Capitol.

“They offer anything for all majors,” said Joyce Sanchez, Legislative Intern Recruiter. “A benefit of this program is seeing the side of your major that you wouldn’t see on a day-to-day basis.”

What’s equally as appealing as the learning experience is the idea of living and working at the nation’s capital.

“I get to wake up to a view of the Capitol, walk by the Supreme Court everyday, see congressmen, senators and other important people everywhere I go. And the museums and night life are a blast. I actually plan on moving here as soon as I get out of college,” Santiago said. “I’m less than half a block from the Supreme Court and about half a block from the Library of Congress.”

Santiago works under Democratic Congressman David Scott, who represents Georgia’s 13th District. What exactly does an eagle intern for Congressman Scott do everyday? Santiago gave an insight to his daily tasks as a student intern at the Capitol.

“[Today] I’ve written a blog post about Black History Month that is going on the Congressman’s website, sorted mail, written letters to constituents and attended a briefing on behalf of the Congressman. This means that I went to an informative meeting, which happen frequently, wrote notes and put together memorandums for our legislative assistants who advise the Congressman,” Santiago said. “In a regular day, I’d be giving a tour of the Capitol as well.”

This highly competitive program is offered every semester, including both A and B summer terms. Students are put through an extensive interview process and are later matched with a legislator that best suits students’ individual views. Students interested in applying must have at least a 2.8 GPA and 48 credit hours completed. Also under consideration are students’ leadership skills and extracurricular activities.

You may find more information regarding the internship at Career Services.

“If you want to see how congress runs around and gets things done and how they even come up with the ideas for legislation you definitely want a legislative internship,” said Sanchez. “That hands-on experience is priceless.”