Exploring the College Network in Congress

When I arrived on the Hill this past summer for an internship, I was nervous. After living in Japan for the past eight years, I was not exactly teeming with professional connections. Most of all, I dreaded the boogeyman of every young, burgeoning professional: networking. With this on my mind, I thought it would be interesting to explore the College of William and Mary’s professional network on the Hill — how students and alumni got to the Hill and their advice to those interested in politics. I interviewed three current students who served as Congressional interns this past summer (Astrid Garcia ’23, Julia Grabo ’22, and Grace Rust ’22), as well as four alumni serving as Congressional staffers (Carlyn LeGrant ’18, Jacob Nelson ’18, Isaac Sarver ’12, and Zachary Woodward ’14). Some interviews were conducted over Zoom, while others took place in person — all were fruitful, fascinating, and full of advice for students. The opinions expressed by the interviewees are expressed in their personal capacity and in no way reflect the opinions or attitudes of the offices they work in.

The College boasts a tremendously wide network of alumni in government-related fields. For a liberal arts college with only 6,200 undergraduate students, the College has a stunning number of alumni working in the State Department, K Street lobbying and consultancy firms, Dupont Circle think tanks, public affairs organizations, and the federal government — and the number of alumni in Congress is no exception.

When it comes to networking, there is no manual or formula for success. So much of it is haphazard, on-the-fly, and utterly without precedent for college students. The network provided by the College does help alleviate some of the pressure to constantly network during an internship — the communal spirit of the Tribe transcends Williamsburg, reverberating in the nation’s capital.

It is easy to be cynical about American politics, but it’s a safe assumption that there has to be a bright fire fueling the passion of those willing to throw themselves into that mess of absurd hours, low pay, constant stress, and the burden of protecting American democracy. All seven interviewees had different reasons for entering politics and working for Congress. After living in North Africa and Europe, Grace Rust ’22 (Intern in Senator Mark Warner’s office) decided to explore Congress; her time in Congress, despite the challenges posed by having to work virtually, has helped open her eyes to a possible post-graduation plan of continuing her work on the Hill. Astrid Garcia ’23 (Intern in Representative Don Beyer’s office) grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, as she explained, “in the shadows of the monuments.” Born in a tent in an El Salvador parking lot, Garcia was inspired in part by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to pursue an internship. In addition to being motivated by her passion for climate activism, immigration, and foreign affairs, she hopes that she is helping, alongside Ocasio-Cortez and others, to pave the way for more Latina women to work in Congress. Julia Grabo ’22 was inspired by her work on Colin Allred’s 2020 battleground campaign in Dallas, Texas to be a “part of something bigger,” and that serving in his office was an extension of that work — specifically, she hoped to reconnect with and work again for Representative Allred’s Chief of Staff, a role model whom she met on the campaign trail. Those relationships, not just résumés and cover letters, are vital.

As for the alumni who have chosen to make careers in Congress, Carlyn LeGrant ’18 (Director of Legislative Operations, Committee on Natural Resources at United States House of Representatives), sees her work on the Hill as an extension of the environmental activism that was central to her college experience, not only as a Government and Environmental Studies double major but also in terms of her internship with the non-profit Environment America and her involvement in Take Back the Tap, an organisation aimed at ending plastic use on campus. Isaac Sarver ‘12 (Roanoke Regional Office Director), while not working directly on the Hill, serves in one of Senator Warner’s district offices. His course towards public service was rooted in his parents’ experiences, both of whom worked in the public sector and helped show him the impact of politics and public service — he described that he knew from an early age that “if [he] wanted to make a positive impact, the way to do that is through political service.”

The interviewees seem to love their jobs. One of Garcia’s main takeaways from her internship was that she could make a difference, and she greatly appreciated the opportunities to write and make connections which her internship afforded her. For Rust, someone who would rather be “behind the scenes” working on policy, loved the flexibility of the internship, and how she was able to explore different areas of policy and meet with the office’s different legislative teams in “brown bag” lunch sessions. Despite Grabo’s frustration at the inertia of Congress (it “just doesn’t move fast”), she has enjoyed working with the people in her Congressional office and looks forward to hopefully using her Masters in Public Policy to work on a committee on healthcare policy. LeGrant described her time in Congress as a “fun trial by fire,” and as someone who loves watching C-SPAN, has relished the opportunities “to sit in on important meetings” and witness top-level legislative strategy. Sarver’s favourite part of his job is “being a part of the story of the community” he works in — reaching small communities which may often be overlooked and doing what he can to help. He noted that the chance to attend the occasional Bruce Springsteen political rally is an additional perk. Zachary Woodward ’14 (Research Director and Senior Writer in Senator Tim Kaine’s office) sees his job as crucial in ensuring that the Senator’s office is precise with their facts, and he loves the adrenaline rush of, for example, writing a quick statement on a big issue (which he likens to “running a crash cart”). Jacob Nelson ’18 (Professional Staff Member with Select Committee on the January 6 Attack) enjoys the “energy and pace of politics,” especially when the rare opportunity to accomplish something both big and meaningful presents itself.

Getting onto the Hill without an inside connection can be notoriously difficult — the right type of preparation and experience is necessary to get that foot in the door. For Garcia, her roots in her hometown, Alexandria (the centre of Representative Beyer’s district), in addition to an internship with the League of United Latin American Citizens, helped prepare her for working in Representative Beyer’s Congressional office. Rust had a very unique pathway — after attending part of high school in Morocco and initially attending a French university before transferring to the College, she spur-of- the-moment applied for (and got) an internship in Senator Warner’s office. Grabo, on the other hand, followed the more conventional path of moving from the campaign to the office.

As for the alumni, for Woodward, working in Congress was the culmination of a years-long buildup of political experience. After serving as Virginia21’s Vice President of Richmond Oversight, interning with a Massachusetts state senator both in the office and on her team during her Congressional bid, and interning on Elizabeth Warren’s Senate campaign, he was more than ready to make the jump to Congress. For Nelson, internships in state politics (one with the Democratic Party of Virginia and one with the Virginia General Assembly), as well as the network provided by the College’s Washington Center (a “mythical listserv the centre ran with alums,” which is now discontinued...), helped land him an internship at the consulting firm Alpine Group, which he parlayed into a position with House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries’ office. After years of working on statewide campaigns and as Governor Ralph Northam’s Chief Deputy Director in the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Sarver’s work in Senator Warner’s Roanoke office can be seen as a culmination of over a decade of experience in Virginia state politics.

To get onto the Hill is one thing — staying there is something else entirely. 18.5 per cent of Congressional employees within a given year leave their jobs, and while this is not higher than most private sectors, one might assume turnover rates would be lower in Congress given the prestige and importance of their work. As for alumni who have moved on from the Hill, Woodward now is in law school after seven and a half years working in Senator Kaine’s office — he described the progression from undergrad to working on the Hill to now being in law school as a “natural” course. Nelson similarly is planning to transition to law school after two and a half years on the Hill, although his attachment to the work keeps getting in the way of those plans. It does not seem to be a coincidence that the College is so disproportionately represented among Congressional staffers — so the question to be asked is what role has the College itself played in facilitating these careers? The College boasts a robust scene of political and advocacy organisations that have played a key role in propelling many students and alumni. Sarver, for one, got his start in his high school chapter of Young Democrats, and his participation in the organisation extended throughout his years at the College. So close was he to his fellow Young Democrats during his college years that he remarked, “These people are my world” — all three groomsmen at his wedding were former Young Democrats. Woodward was similarly involved in Young Democrats as well as the Student Assembly, both of which built important, durable connections, and he advised to not “sleep on the friends you make in college.” For LeGrant, on-campus organisations like The Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) and Take Back the Tap served as a springboard for her entry into Congress. Some alumni discovered their passion for politics through academics. For example, Nelson’s work in The Social Networks and Political Psychology Lab (SNaPP) with Professor Settle inspired him to work in government. LeGrant was fascinated by her intersectional government classes dealing with inequality. Sarver was pushed and inspired by the College’s government department, particularly Professor Evans.

A recurring theme was that the College was most helpful in the alumni network it offered rather than anything the school itself did. Garcia explained that the College did not help her much with the internship process, and it was mostly the network, which was operating “behind the scenes,” that helped her. Neither Grabo nor Rust found out about their internships through the College’s career services. Similarly, Woodward heard about and applied for his initial position rather unexpectedly at the suggestion of a friend he bumped into at Sadler after defending his Honor’s Thesis. Some alumni, on the other hand, did benefit from the College’s career services — the Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Career Center helped LeGrant with general interviewing strategies, and the Washington Center helped Nelson secure an internship with The Alpine Group, although the program that helped Jacob (the aforementioned “mythical listserv”) is now no longer up and running. The general feeling among students and alumni alike is that the College could do more to leverage the tremendous number of alumni working in Congress. There is a great opportunity for the Washington Center to serve as a conduit between students and alumni working in Congress to hopefully open up opportunities to more students, especially as internship opportunities in Congress become more accessible with both higher pay and better benefits. The College’s alumni network in Congress is staggering — LeGrant said that the first two committee staffers she met were both from [the College] — and this is a committee with only 50 staff. Garcia, despite mostly working online which makes networking more difficult, had already met three alumni of the College in her office. Similarly, Rust, despite working entirely online, had a list of alumni she had come across. But this network does not help students if there is no connection — hopefully, successive generations of bright and enthusiastic students, eager to get involved in politics and policy, will have greater access to those connections fostered by the College.

What do alumni say to students excited to get into politics and hoping to work in Congress? LeGrant described the most important skills for prospective Congressional interns as the ability to do good, exhaustive research, think on one’s feet, and communicate information clearly and efficiently. As for networking, she advised that “everybody you meet isn’t going to be super helpful — you just need a few,” emphasizing the importance of fostering valuable connections. Sarver’s piece of advice was to “not burn bridges” — it’s an “immensely small world we live in,” and the people you interact with will remember you. Woodward had no press experience before working in Senator Kaine’s press shop, but it did not matter because he “could write well and was responsible,” and broad skills like those are often more important than specific skills or extensive experience. Nelson understands the difficulties in networking but noted that on the Hill, everyone depends on one another to move up or move on, so there is no reason to be afraid to cold email or cold contact people. He also emphasised how important it is to “network responsibly.”

The Hill is a wondrous place — one of high stakes and equally high stress. The jobs are demanding, exhausting, and often thankless. But for many, it is worth it, knowing that the work they are doing matters. The Hill is also a daunting place, filled with powerful people: the elected and unelected. It is a life filled with pressure to always meet new people who could one day open up doors later on — a day without a connection is a day lost. Life on the Hill is a life that many students and alumni of the College have experienced firsthand, and if the College fully takes advantage of the network in place, it is possible that even more students can find their way from the halls of the College to those of Congress.

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to correct factual inaccuracies.