I went to Washington, D.C. with a suitcase full of business casual outfits and a dream, and left having witnessed one of the most volatile times in U.S. history and the unfortunate loss of a friend.
Over the summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern in Washington with Congressman Jim Costa’s office as a “Costa Scholar” through the Maddy Institute. Though it was only two months, I experienced a lifetime of opportunities.
As an intern, I got to do some exciting things, such as giving constituent tours of the Capitol, sitting in on committee hearings and even shadowing Costa for a whole day.
I was in Washington during a pretty crazy time. During the first week I was there, President Donald Trump drone-striked three nuclear facilities in Iran, and I was staying only two blocks away from the White House, which scared me a little.
As the internship went on, I ran into some popular political figures, such as Bernie Sanders, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It was fascinating to see them up close and not on a screen.
Two of the most memorable moments were watching Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries make history with the longest floor speech in House history and the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” pass in person from the House gallery.
Watching the reconciliation bill pass in person was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I saw almost every member of Congress in the same place. I witnessed the typical political antics you see on TV in person, with the Democrats and Republicans booing each other from across the room.
I also got to tour the White House and go to a Marine Barracks parade at the oldest post of the Marine Corps, established by Thomas Jefferson in 1801. As a history geek and “Hamilton” fan, it was a truly gratifying experience.
Although I had many amazing experiences in Washington, I was faced with an unexpected challenge at the beginning of my internship.
On my first day, I met Ian Kalvinskas, a fellow intern. He was bright and intelligent, and we bonded over subjects like travel and international affairs.
Kalvinskas was diagnosed with liver cancer in November 2024 and had dreams of going to Washington to introduce a bill that would make the organ transplant process more accessible. He opened my eyes to how the organ transplant process works, and how some people will be on the waiting list for years before they can get a transplant.
Just as Kalvinskas and I were becoming better friends, he unfortunately died two weeks after our internship started. I was devastated.
After that day, I dedicated the rest of my time in Washington to Kalvinskas’ mission. I worked with our health staffer in drafting a bill named after Kalvinskas that would help reform the organ transplant process, wrote a Congressional Record in honor of Kalvinskas and I am waiting for approval for a bill I pitched for Costa’s cosponsorship that would give living organ donors a $5,000 refundable tax credit to cover additional expenses when donating an organ.
I will forever remember and be grateful for this experience I had on Capitol Hill. I learned so much more about the legislative process in two months than I did in years of school. I learned how important networking is, and, most importantly, I learned the value of making the most of your life, because it can be cut short at any moment.
