Ann-Lyssa Asare
CAS/Pardee’20 | International Relations
Legislative Intern
CCD: Tell us about your work experience. What were your responsibilities?
AL: I worked for the 3rd Congressional District Office in Connecticut for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. Interns in the New Haven District Office work closely with the assigned supervisory staff performing a full range of tasks including but not limited to: data entry, word processing, gathering and recording constituent information, casework research, generating correspondence, initiating and receiving telephonic contacts, special projects, general office administrative work (typing, filing, coping, mailings, answering telephones) and staff support. However, I had a bit more of a hands-on experience working with specific immigration cases. I also went to City and District Council meetings, and worked directly with officials to discuss plans for redevelopment after a tornado destroyed much of Connecticut. Also, I worked on plans to accommodate for and help the many people that came into New Haven to seek refugee after the hurricane in Puerto Rico.
CCD: How did you get the position? What resources at BU or elsewhere did you use?
AL: I had a lot of difficulty finding an internship as a sophomore, so someone suggested I look into non-profits or work in government. I thought about working for one of my favorite U. S. Representatives in Connecticut, went on their website, and applied to their district office internship.
CCD: What is one challenge that you encountered during your summer experience and how did you manage it?
AL: A lot of government jobs are unpaid, and I made it work by driving a family friends car to and from work and packed my own lunches every day. I also told the parking attendant about my situation and he let me park for free in the lot (instead of paying $30 a day).
CCD: What was the best thing about the experience? What was the worst?
AL: I had a lot of freedom which was great, and some days I was always busy doing work. The downside was that since it was not an election period, the office would get a little slow at times, having spurts of engagement depending on current events in politics. For example, we were the busiest when there was controversy over ICE.
CCD: What advice would you give to another student about making the most of an internship or job experience?
AL: Do not give up on an internship because it is unpaid. You can find ways to stay afloat, because it may become an experience like no other.
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