Every spring, the Office of Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA) provides an internship to a Nunn School Student at his office in Washington, DC. For more information on how eligibility and application procedures, please see the FAQS on the Chambliss Internship.
Amanda Shojaee will be graduating from Georgia Tech next May with a degree in International Affairs. Some of her on campus involvement includes serving as a FASET leader, and as a Public Affairs committee member of the Student Government Association (SGA). She also served for one year as an Ivan Allen College Ambassador. In this role she acted as a liaison between the College and prospective students, helping with recruiting events, leading student tours, and visiting local high schools to educate students about IAC. This past spring she was awarded a stipend by the Georgia Tech Office of Government and Community Relations to participate in an internship program in Washington, DC. Each semester Georgia Tech gives financial aid to selected students with internships in Washington, DC to help them cover the costs of living in our nation’s capital. For more information on how to apply for the stipend, please see the GT DC Internship Website.
Amanda was selected for the first Senator Chambliss National Security and Foreign Relations Internship offered by the Nunn School. This past spring she worked in his Washington, DC office on issues of international security policy and intelligence oversight, and learned more about the legislative and political process.
What prepared you for your role?
“What prepared me for my internship was a combination of both my studies in class but more importantly my involvement and interactions with people in programs like FASET. My experience from FASET helped me become very open to meeting new people in the office and during receptions. This was important in my internship because it fostered better relationships at work and new connections for future opportunities. It was networking in action.”
What were some of your responsibilities? What made an impression on you during the internship?
“There were standard intern duties that we all handled, such as greeting visitors and leading Capitol tours for Georgia constituents. I was also given assignments to attend Senate hearings, to summarize legislation, and to provide policy position recommendations. I also researched and compiled briefs for the Senator and the military office, and designed the content for a presentation the Chief of Staff gave at a local university.
I was fortunate to be in Washington during the confirmation hearing for now Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. It was exciting because it was a much anticipated hearing and getting in was going to be difficult. Our Chief of Staff was very committed to getting the interns into the hearing. He met up with all of us interns very early in the morning to go to the hearing room and save seats on the front row of the general audience section. He sat with us for almost two hours so that we would not miss such a memorable occasion. It was an incredible experience being able to witness all perspectives in the hearing, from the protester, to the former Senators Nunn and Warner who gave the introduction, to the current senators of the Senate Armed Service Committee, and some of the widely contested topics they covered during their questioning. I am grateful to have seen such a hearing and thankful that our Chief of Staff was so committed in sharing this opportunity.”
How has this internship influenced your career choices?
“This internship basically gave me career choices because I had no direction prior to the internship. After having my internship experience and also reaching out to staff in the office for advice I definitely have interest in pursuing a career in politics.”