Greetings from the Capitol!

My name is Brenna Kelly and I am a junior Political Science major at Stonehill. I am studying at American University through the Washington Semester Program. The program I am enrolled in is American Politics, and I am interning in Senator Kennedy's office.

What an experience this semester has been so far! I began researching and applying to internships over the summer, and was lucky to secure the position in Senator Kennedy's office in July. I was sent an intern binder with all types of information regarding working on "the Hill," and was so excited to get here and start! Sadly, on August 25th, Senator Edward Kennedy passed away after holding his senate seat for over forty years and creating a legacy as one of the most well respected and influential members of Congress in history. I began my internship on August 27th, and really did not know what to expect. Luckily I was able to stay in the office, and the opportunity of working there during such a historic time has been incredible. I have been able to meet all kinds of people, and I now truly understand how much positive change you can create by dedicating yourself to public service, as Senator Kennedy had.

That being said, Capitol Hill is pretty much the coolest place you could work. On my way to the office everyday after exiting the Capitol South metro station I get to walk by the US Capitol and the Supreme Court as the sun rises over them. As corny as it sounds, as a poli-sci nerd I totally appreciate this! I have also spotted various politicians in my adventures around the Hill, including Vice President Biden, Senator Kerry and Senator McCain.

My seminar program at American is just as interesting. I decided to study through AU because the program is focused not only on interning, but a great deal on academics and I felt this was the best way to get the most out of being here. I am incredibly happy with this decision. So far we have studied elections and campaigns, campaign finance reform, the financial bailout, and will soon be moving on to the presidency, which I am very excited for! Some of our speakers have included Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Norm Eisen (Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform), Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), Leon Sequeira (former Asst. Secretary of Labor, Program Policy, Research and Technology), Bob Schieffer (CBS Chief Washington Correspondent), Tad Devine (one of the leading campaign PR people in the world) and Steven Walther (Chairman of the Federal Election Commission). My class has also visited some great places too, including the Newseum, National Holocaust Museum, and various committee hearings.

Also, as part of the Washington Semester program, I am conducting a research project on the Family Reunification Act of 2009, that was introduced on the Senate Floor on May 20th and on the House floor in June. The professors here have gone above and beyond helping with the internship, research project, and making the overall DC experience a wonderful experience.

Finally, living in DC is great because it is such an incredible city. We live on the AU "Tenley Campus," which has its own academic building, gym and cafeteria. It is a five minute walk to the Tenleytown AU metro stop, and is also very close to Subway, Bestbuy, Whole Foods, CVS, Dominoe's, an amazing smoothie place, Robek's, and Guapos, a great Mexican restaurant. There is always something to do, and so many cool places to visit. Besides the monuments on the National Mall, I have visited various Smithsonian museums (American History is my favorite, you can't beat seeing Dorothy's ruby slippers!), the International Spy Museum (so cool!), Georgetown for shopping and great restaurants, a Nationals game (not the Red Sox but still lots of fun), the National Book Fair, and Six Flags America in Maryland. I still have a long list of places I want to visit before I leave!


I hope this helps! Have a fab semester and stay tuned for more posts!