Throughout the fifth week of my internship, I spent a significant amount of my time out of the office. However, during the beginning of the week, our office was noticeably more busy than usual. From the constantly ringing telephones to various walk-ins and appointments, I felt like I was truly experiencing the hustle of the Senator’s office. Yet, I personally believe that hectic environments are where I thrive the most. Due to its fast-paced schedule, Cornell has equipped me with the skills necessary to efficiently produce quality work, all while juggling multiple tasks. As mentioned previously, in addition to finishing my typical day-to-day tasks, I had the opportunity to venture outside of the office for several unique and valuable experiences.
Out of all my experiences so far as an intern, getting to attend a naturalization ceremony may be at the top of my list! On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to join representatives from Senator Ernst and Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ state offices in attendance at a naturalization ceremony. The ceremony was originally planned to be held at the MLK Park in Davenport, although due to the rainy weather, it was moved to the United States District Courthouse of Southern Iowa, which is where naturalization ceremonies are traditionally held.
Since I was in attendance on behalf of Senator Grassley, I was seated along the side of the courtroom directly across from the jury box. I really did not know what to expect going into this ceremony, as it was the first one that I had ever been to. I was surprised by how many people were in attendance! Before I knew it, the courtroom was overflowing with people eager to celebrate their relatives and/or friends. The ceremony kicked off with the singing of the national anthem, and after an introduction from the magistrate judge, the other representatives and I were introduced and recognized on behalf of the local political offices. After a roll call and the oath of allegiance was given, the other representatives and I formed a line at the front of the court to personally congratulate each of the new citizens. To congratulate the new citizens, I handed each individual a letter from Senator Grassley and shook hands with them.
The excitement and joy that filled the courtroom during this ceremony is truly unmatched. In the beginning of the ceremony, the magistrate judge stated that this was one of his favorite things that he is able to participate in. This was truly a unique experience and I am especially grateful that I was able to attend on behalf of Senator Grassley. I consider it an honor that I was able to celebrate new citizenship alongside this group of hardworking individuals.
Photo of the Naturalization Ceremony and Photo of the Naturalization Ceremony Schedule of Events
Another unique task I tackled this week was shipping office materials. Over the past week, I have worked on cleaning out old electronics and file cabinets in the office. After organizing everything into boxes, we had a total of six archive boxes and two large boxes full of electronics. This week, my supervisor and I took the packages to the local post office to mail them to the proper locations.
Since the shipping is paid for by the U.S. Senate, the packages are tracked and recorded based on their respective weights. In order to ship out packages, each one must weigh no more than seventy pounds. As the packages were weighed by the postmaster, I recorded the weights and labels for each box, which I later emailed to Senator Grassley’s D.C. office for documentation. Organizing and mailing out the archive boxes and surplus electronics freed up a significant amount of space and helped make the office more efficient and up-to-date.
One subject that I have not spent a lot of time covering in my blog posts, is constituent walk-ins. Since I am an intern and not a constituent caseworker, I do not personally engage with constituents when they come into the office for help with an issue. Periodically, constituents will come into the Davenport office for various reasons, such as requesting help with a federal agency or to drop off opinion cards or letters relevant to an issue that they are concerned with. Recently, many of these opinion cards and concerns have been related to the budget reconciliation bill, and more specifically, national budget cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. Moreover, towards the end of the week, a constituent came into the office and dropped off a small box full of opinion cards and letters. I have been working on passing these comments and concerns along to the Senator to get a response sent back out to each constituent. I wanted to mention this as I think it emphasizes the freedom we have in the United States to voice our opinions and the importance of participating in local politics. Senator Grassley extremely values his constituents’ opinions and beliefs, which is why he and his team work hard to respond to each constituent’s questions and concerns.
If I had to name one lesson from this week, it would be that the Senator’s responsibilities go far beyond voting. Many people assume that a representative’s responsibilities are limited to casting votes. However, after spending only five weeks in the state office, I have learned how many other duties that the Senator is responsible for.
Additionally, it is important to reflect upon and celebrate the political freedoms that we have as citizens of the United States. I think we often take things such as the ability to vote, or even an act as simple as writing to a local representative for granted. Consequently, many people have probably never even thought about voicing their opinions and writing to their representative. After attending the naturalization ceremony this week, I was reminded of the amazing freedoms that we have as citizens of the United States. I believe that everyone should attend a naturalization ceremony if they have the chance, as it is truly an amazing experience! Today, I challenge YOU to take advantage of your political freedoms–voice your opinion and connect with your local representatives. Your voice matters!