Millenial Action Project, Washington, D.C.
Fulfilling a desire to work with policy in the sphere of domestic politics, my time as a State Policy Intern with the Millennial Action Project was fulfilling and enlightening. The Millennial Action Project (MAP) is a bipartisan nonprofit organization that works with legislators to overcome partisan polarization with generational unity. They are a small organization of about 20 young, optimistic people who are all really motivated by the mission of MAP. I worked with four people: three State Caucus Managers and a director. I had biweekly meetings with everybody and worked on different projects with each part of my team. I primarily worked on outreach and strategy for their annual conference, the Future Summit for Millennial State Legislators. I also conducted background research for their series called Our American Fabric, collected data for their age database, wrote a recruitment blog post, and led the phone banking outreach for the conference. In addition, I worked to create an Energy and Environment briefing by tracking legislation, reading policy literature, and preparing bill summaries for the Senior Policy Manager.
I was interested in interning with the Millennial Action Project because I wanted to see how nonprofit organizations work with the government to create change. As an international relations concentrator, I wanted to explore American politics through a policy and lawmaker lens. I was able to attend the Future Summit, which was virtual for the second year in a row, and was able to hear stories and advice from young state legislators from about 37 different states on how they affect change in the political system. It has affirmed my desire to help and empower kind-hearted politicians to make change, but has deterred me from wanting to enter into politics as a career path. I realize that I am more interested in the cultural forces and political incentives that influence politics.
A Democrat from Arkansas, Representative Jamie Scott, really inspired me as she has made it her mission to always have a Republican as a cosponsor of her bills. Representative Scott intentionally builds relationships across the aisle because her dedication to common dignity was informed by her Christian faith. I have always been interested in the links between faith and religion, and as a result I am taking a history course this upcoming semester titled Religion and American Politics. Furthermore, as a practicing Christian, I am exploring how I can use my own faith and career to inform a positive and compassionate change in the world. As a result of this summer, I am less certain about continuing on the path to working in the para-governmental sphere, but increasingly dedicated to empowering citizens to be the change they want to see in the world.
My internship experience this summer has inspired, informed, and grown me and I know the work I did with the Millennial Action Project has brought us one small step closer toward political unity. I would like to thank James D. Marver ’72 and the ’68 Center for Career Exploration for this opportunity.
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