by Kylie Hay-Roe

“Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand.” -Confucius 

Through the Bob Graham Center for Public Service Washington Internship Program, I interned for the Office of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24), on behalf of the UF Office of Federal Relations my Spring semester 2022. And just as the quote above expresses, I found being involved in public service, civic engagement, and participating in political and legislative processes while working on Capitol Hill was an indispensable window into understanding professions in government and Congress.  

I was immediately thrown into many of the communications, constituent outreach, and policy research duties that a congressional staffer handles daily. I quickly picked up on the need for time management and multi-tasking on Capitol Hill, as staffers typically juggle multiple policy issues, and committees in their research, stakeholder meetings, proposals, and legislative writing. I assisted in the appropriations processes, drafted memoranda, letters to colleagues, and even remarks and speeches for the Member. I also answered phone calls and performed administrative tasks for the office. 

Though tasks for my office varied day-to-day, in general, I found being self-motivated and adaptable was key. I relished in the research work I received, delving deeper into the policy issues, backgrounds, and associated organizations, agencies, bills, events, and advocacy currently underway. 

One of the most rewarding duties I performed involved constituent correspondence. Being able to impact and aid individuals through my internship served to reinforce my faith in government’s commitment to public service. 

I was unprepared for the level of kindness, friendship, and mentorship I received. My office was professional, but also laid-back and open. I never felt uncomfortable going to my supervisors with questions, and they often provided guidance and advice even when unprompted, which I greatly appreciated. Not only did my senior staffers “show me the ropes” of Capitol Hill, they also trusted me to figure things out on my own and handle new tasks capably. My confidence in my professional skills and abilities grew as a result. 

My internship was an unforgettable experience because it was eye-opening, empowering, and I learned so much about the industry and other career paths that appealed to me within public service. I recommend that anyone who is interested in politics, public service, or civic engagement try to experience working in a congressional office if they can, but also keep in mind the experience is what you make of it. Kindness always goes a long way! Ensuring that you show what makes you unique and genuine will help you connect with others who can aid you in your personal and professional journey. 

by Benjamin Siew

Going into my freshman year, I knew that getting involved in research would be an important aspect of a successful four years as a Microbiology major, but knew little more about it. At my orientation, I met Dr. Jacob T. Watson, who encouraged me to get involved in research and recommended I enroll in his Beyond120 class, Intro to Research in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Having space for another credit, I decided to give it a shot. I learned about the research process, how to present work, and most importantly, how to get involved. With this knowledge, I was eager to start my research journey sooner rather than later, and began studying halophiles with Dr. Maupin-Furlow in the spring semester. I also decided that I wanted to spend my summer doing a research internship, and so began looking into summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs, which are research internships sponsored by the NSF. After applying to several with the help of a recommendation letter from Dr. Watson, I was accepted to the University of Georgia’s Microbiology REU!

I was assigned to work in Dr. Timothy Hoover’s lab studying a novel flagellar protein in a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, which is the most common cause of stomach ulcers and the only bacteria known to cause cancer and infects over half of the world’s population at some point. Progress on my project was a slow and bumpy road, but it was rewarding to know that I was helping to create a more thorough understanding of the biology of such a significant species. As a full-time internship, it also gave me valuable insight into what life is like as a full-time researcher and/or graduate student.
Beyond (no pun intended) squirting small volumes of liquids into small tubes and seeing what happens, the program also put a great emphasis on exploring the various career options available in the field of microbiology. This involved touring the Boehringer Ingelheim animal health research facility in Athens, who develops medicines and vaccines for companion animals as well as livestock, giving us insight into what life is like working in industry. We also toured the BSL-3Ag (meaning it has many sophisticated means of preventing in vivo animal pathogens being studied within from escaping) facility on campus, one of very few in the country, and got the rundown on how the various safety and pathogen containment systems work. My favorite part of the program, though, was our behind the scenes tour of the Georgia Aquarium! We were shown how their massive open ocean exhibit is maintained and fed, the on-site microbiology lab, animal hospital, and how the researcher giving us the tour studies shark eggs to learn more about their ecology and microbiome.
The program culminated in my first poster presentation since my sixth-grade science fair, and I dove straight into the deep end with it. The final results of my main experiment were be determined by proteomics which did not come back until the morning of my presentation, and the results were largely surprising. It was an interesting experience and a bit scary but I felt very confident with the rest of my presentation, so despite the universe’s best efforts I had a very positive experience!

My experience with my summer internship, past research, and Beyond120 course have encouraged me to further explore different fields and opportunities available under the microbiology umbrella, and further confirmed my desire to attend a PhD program to pursue a career in research. I’d like to emphasize, though, that my interest in all the above was kicked off by my experience in Intro to Research in Liberal Arts and Sciences, so if you’re interested in research at all yourself, I highly recommend giving the class a shot!