Senator Dan Sullivan’s office, how can I direct your call?

It was dark when Abigail Brown and her husband Alex's plane from Hawaii landed on the tarmac at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. It was a drastic change from the tropical island of Oahu they'd left earlier that day, but as soon as they walked out into the cool, crisp late fall air and caught a glimpse of the shadowy Chugach, she knew, "this is it."

Originally from upstate New York, Brown had traveled the world and across the country during her decade in the Marine Corps. She met her husband and the two had been living in Hawaii for the past couple of years, but they needed a change from living in a place that felt more like a vacation destination than home. So when Brown's husband had a job opportunity in Alaska, the two jumped at the chance. That was two years ago and since then the two have settled into northern life, loving the winters because according to Brown, Anchorage averages better snowfall than upstate New York.

Now that the two are settled, with a four-year-old and a one-year-old, Brown decided it was time to go back to school to pursue a lifelong goal of studying clinical psychology, a program that happens to be offered at UAA. She has about a full semester left before graduation and her razor-sharp focus on academics earned her a spot on the dean's list and afforded her an unexpected opportunity to live and work in Washington D.C. last summer.

The psychologist's point of view

"The senator [Alaska U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan] sent out a letter to everyone on the dean's list offering students a chance to work in D.C. in his office," said Brown of the email she received from Sen. Sullivan's office for an eight-week internship in D.C. "I didn't really think much of it because I have two little boys, a four- and one-year-old, that I need to take care of. I just kind of mentioned it to my husband and he said, 'You have to go.'"

Brown said she was skeptical, but her husband insisted she apply, and the more she pondered it, the more she decided that actually, from her degree standpoint of psychology, this could be an interesting opportunity.

"Right now there's a lot of hot topics related to psychology, like access to health care and mental health," said Brown of the current political conversations nationally and in D.C. "I was really interested to see how practice and research actually translate into policy."

Applying for the coveted internship was no easy task. In addition to the extensive application process, there were two rounds of interviews before the final cohort of 11 were chosen and she found out she'd nabbed a spot. 

As spring semester came to a close, Brown had a few short weeks before trading in her textbooks for heels and blazers and packing her bags for summer in the nation's capital.  

From ANC to D.C.

About the last week of May, Brown touched down in D.C., settled into her apartment in Maryland for the summer, which she was sharing with another Sen. Sullivan intern, and was ready to hit the ground running.

She said she was surprised at how friendly the office staff and other interns were in the bustling senator's offices, and how everyone took the time to get to know the new interns and give them insider tips for fun activities after the workday was done. 

Brown said her group of 11 were all trained together by the staff to learn how to answer the phones, route important calls, and take messages for the senator and his staff. 

"Some days there were next to no calls and you could have a conversation, but other days there was a really high call volume and you had to be quick," Brown said. She said there was a daily mix of calls every day, from constituents wanting to voice their concerns on issues they supported or opposed, while others needed help with solving an issue, and some were non-constituents, but concerned citizens from around the country calling to sway the senator on a particular national issue. "Of course there were other senators' offices that would call as well."

In addition to handling the daily calls, the interns were tasked with letter writing to constituents, similar to handling the calls, the letters contained either information about the senator's stance on particular issues or thanked them for reaching out to him. 

Brown said there was also manning the front desk and that every day, they would rotate who was assigned to greet guests arriving for meetings with the senator. 

"There was a giant map in the front room where people could go and stick a pin in wherever they lived in the state," said Brown. "That was always really fun because we got to hear people's adventure stories from their lives in Alaska."

One of Brown's favorite aspects of her internship was meetings she and the other interns were invited to attend - to see the behind-the-scenes, policy-making in action. 

"Senator Sullivan would let us shadow him in meetings or let us go to hearings or briefings, which was so interesting, because it was like a mini-course in whatever topic they were discussing," Brown said. "They really made an effort to allow us to learn about the topics we were interested in and balance that with our daily office tasks."

A capital summer

Brown said once the workday was over, she and the other interns would let loose with lots of options for activities in the big city.

From the monuments and museums to the art, music and food scene, there was no shortage of entertainment after work hours.

"It was so fun, the hustle and bustle of being in a big city and there were so many museums and galleries," said Brown. "I mean Anchorage has a thriving art scene, which I love, but it's fun to be in a place where that's so much bigger. Plus I'd go out to jazz lounges and you know, eating all the great food."

Though she enjoyed exploring her temporary summer city with fellow interns, she was happy to board her flight when the internship ended, get back to cooler weather and reunite with her family.

"I have a greater appreciation for how much work actually happens in D.C. and how much is happening behind the scenes; I mean, the senator is booked down to every 15 minutes of his day," said Brown. "There's a lot more cooperation - it's not like House of Cards - between republicans and democrats, everyone actually works really well together to get things done."

Written by Catalina Myers, UAA Office of University Advancement