Sister Spotlight: Kaylen Loflin

Today's post is a continuation of our sister spotlights on girls and the incredible ways they spent their summers!  This one is about Kaylen Loflin and her experience interning on Capitol Hill.  Congratulations on the huge accomplishment, Kaylen, and we are so happy to have you back!

Team Duncan

"This summer I received a chance of a lifetime: a chance to move to Washington, DC and work on Capitol Hill. For most of you, the thought of interning for a Congressman sounds daunting and perhaps dull, but for someone who aspires to have a career in politics it’s a dream come true. I spent my summer interning for Congressman Jeff Duncan (representative of the 3rd district of South Carolina). It is with great pleasure that I can say that Congressman Duncan is one of the most amazing men I have ever had the honor of not only working for, but to meet and spend time with as well.

As a true southern gentleman, the 3rd district chose well when they picked him to be their representative. This man devotes his life to representing the 3rd district to the best of his ability, while holding the federal government accountable to the Constitution. Not only have I found a mentor in Congressman Duncan, but his staff as well. It’s truly a blessing to find such a kind and welcoming group to work with so far away from home. I realize how fortunate I am to be able to have such an amazing group of people to learn from this summer.

It may seem like everything went perfectly with a smooth transition, but in the beginning I had no idea what I was walking into. It took over a year of planning to work out all of the details for this internship, which means I had a year to think about every possible thing that could wrong. I could get lost on the metro; I could get mugged; I could get lost in the Capitol; Possible even worse, I could spill coffee on the Congressman! I could say the wrong thing to a constituent, and ect.... Any possible thing that could go wrong, I thought about it and worried. Even with a year to think about not only all the things that could send me into a embarrassed coma but all of the wonderful opportunities as well, I still honestly had no idea what I was walking into on my first day of work. (Luckily my uncle lives in DC so I didn't have to face the big city all by myself, but he couldn't come to work with me every day!)

 I don't think I have ever been more nervous than the first morning of my internship. I took the red line train from DuPont Circle to Metro Center where I changed to the Orange/Blue Line train to go to Capitol South, which is right outside Cannon House Office building – my home for the summer. (I may have fooled you that I was a pro at navigating the metro, but the day before I made my uncle take me on a trial run to test the waters). I went through security and found my office, only to realize the door is locked. I was early so I decided to walk around the building and of course I allowed my head to fill with all sorts of bad thoughts like; what if they forgot about me? What if they changed their minds about me but didn't tell me? What if I came on the wrong day? Right when I was about to have a break down and call my dad, I saw someone unlock our door and enter the office.

I quickly followed behind them and introduced myself. It was our Legislative Director, Joshua, who told me to have a seat at the front desk and that when Lauren arrived, she would explain everything that I needed to know. That's about all I remember from the first day. Everything else was a blur from learning how to answer the phones, who handles which policy issues, how to greet people, how to navigate the underground tunnels, and the biggest of them all: giving tours of the Capitol.

Kaylen with Senator Tim Scott

I started on a recess week, which means members of Congress are working in their districts (you probably have heard it referred to as summer vacation for Congress, but that's not an accurate description). Since we were in recess, everyone in the office had a little more time to explain things to me in addition to helping me learn the ropes. I went home exhausted every night, in amazement with how much went on every day. Little to my knowledge, it would get about a million times busier when we were in session.

Capitol Hill is not the place for people who want a relaxed, low-key job. It’s long hours and something always needs to be done. My main job was to be the receptionist for our office. This included greeting meetings or whomever walked in the door (because it is a public office meaning anyone can walk right in), and answering phone calls to direct people to the appropriate legislative assistant or taking comments/questions for the Congressman. (I would like to add that I now have the upmost respect for receptionists). The other biggest part of being an intern on Capitol Hill is doubling as a tour guide. Almost every day, constituents who are visiting Washington come in to get a tour of the Capitol. I take them underground from our office to the Capitol then walk them through the Crypt, the Rotunda, the Old Supreme Court, the Old Senate Chamber, and the Old House Chamber all while telling them the history of the rooms, paintings, and statues. My absolute favorite spot in the Capitol is the Speakers balcony. When we are not in session interns and staffers are allowed to take tours out to the balcony where you get the best view of DC. I will miss walking out on that balcony on beautiful DC days and looking out over the National Mall.

Kaylen with Jenna Bush

Every once in a while, when we aren't in session, a staffer will walk you on to the House floor. One of my highlights of the summer was getting to go on the House floor for the first time and sit in the seats that members of Congress sit in. Along with being the receptionist and a tour guide, I helped anyone in the office with projects they were working on. This included research for different issues, monitoring social media for the Congressman and helping compile monthly reports of the findings, and any other little projects staffers needed assistance with.

My summer wasn't all work though. At the end of July I got the opportunity to go to ScholarCon, which is hosted by NSCS. (The organization that most of you have as your other campus organization) The conference was held in Orlando and hosted speakers like Eric Kuhn, Jullien Gordon, Jenna Bush Hager, Lauren Berger, Jerry Greenfield and many others who have made a huge impact in this world and want to inspire others to do the same. The conference help lectures on interviews, internships careers, graduate testing, and tons of other really helpful seminars. The most notable speaker/performer was John Legend. He spoke about his passions and his dedication to excelling in his career. He has such an inspiring story, but it didn't hurt that he performed a few songs too. I would really encourage all of you to check out these people and also get involved with our chapter of NSCS.

Kaylen with John Legend

As exhausting as the work is, I would not trade my experience this summer for the world. Having the opportunity to get to know Congressman Duncan and his staff is something that has truly inspired me and solidified that I am making the right decision to pursue a career in government.

DL,

Kaylen"