To the amazing staff of Congressman Matt Salmon

To the amazing staff of Congressman Matt Salmon,

I want to thank you for investing all of your time and energy into making my experience rewarding. Every one of you contributed something special on multiple occasions and I am thankful for that. I want you to know that I felt welcomed the moment I came walked through the front door for the first time and I believe that is because of the characteristics of which you all possess. Although you exposed me to real life politics in Washington D.C., I am still confident that I want to serve on the city and state level.

To Jonathan and Jenell, I will always remember the fun we had. To Lliam, Greg, Kristine, and Lorissa, thank you for providing countless opportunities to learn and grow. To Olivia, thank you for being so very kind and welcoming to everyone who visits the office. To Adam, thanks for your help with trying to find me work. Although we were not successful, I appreciate your time and help. To Congressman Salmon, thank you for setting the perfect example in your office. You are an incredible person with many admirable qualities.

I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and thank you again for our time together.

Sincerely,

Ryan Lee

Conclusion and Summary of goals

As I concluded my internship and read through my journal entries, I believe my goals were all met by the close of my 12-week internship. For starters, I certainly saw for my own eyes the challenges facing Washington, but I also saw the sincerity of hundreds of men and women who are striving to serve the American people in a large government. I believe that the hearts of these people are in the correct place, yet they struggle to move forward with change because of the many rules and regulations that have been placed on our government.  By trimming back the large amount, and often repetitive, departments, our politicians will have more influence in representing the people.

My second goal was accomplished and I left D.C. knowing that I can succeed in the workforce as an office manager. I learned a great deal of office procedures and whether it be managing inventory and purchasing supplies, to arranging travel needs, I feel ready to go to work. Since returning to Phoenix at the conclusion of my time with Representative Salmon’s staff, I was hired as an administrative assistant at Air Methods which is a private company who specializes in air and land medical transportation.

Finally, I learned very quickly that large government is not for me. The life style is hard and I’m not sure I would want to travel back and forth as often as these Representatives do. Plus, I have interned previously for local government officials and can now say that I witnessed a greater impact of the lives of citizens from local officials. Still, I appreciate the hard work that comes out of Washington D.C.
Working for Congressman Matt Salmon brought wonderful experiences that I would never trade for any other professional experience. I want to thank his entire team who quickly became my friends. I will be sure to recommend an internship in Washington D.C. to my closest friends because of the experiences that I gained.

Job Search Strategies Webinar by ASU

As written in my previous blog, I enjoyed the opportunity to attend the career fair in September so this time I decided to attend a webinar. For this event,  I decided the Job Search Strategies webinar would offer the most practice advice for my current needs.  

The webinar began with advising the audience to begin a job search before you actually need a job or while you are still employed. One reason for this is the fact that it is much harder to find a job when you are unemployed and that you are more attractive when you are currently employed, especially if you can receive a positive review from your current employer or supervisor. 

The webinar then moved on to 5 steps for job searching. First, identify the job you want. Second, create your resume. Third, find open positions. Fourth, brush up on interviewing. Fifth, evaluate your strengths and the needs of the company. All that remained in the webinar was based off of the five steps and each step was discussed in detail. For me, the most beneficial aspect of the webinar was the resume portion. This was very important because it provided examples that applied to each job category. The final aspect that I found most beneficial was the portion of the webinar that showed us how to find jobs and where to locate jobs in our prospective fields of work. This was worth every bit of my time and I want to thank those who took the time to put this on. 

The great scare called Obamacare

Like most Americans, I was waiting for the inevitable concerning the increase of my medication insurance premium or the cancellation of the policy if it wasn't in compliance with the standards as outlined in the Affordable Care Act that I prefer to call Obamacare. Good news!!! It was cancelled but it also wasn't in full compliance which means I will see a 28% increase in my premium each month starting next year. With all the sarcasm that I have, I am truly excited to receive maternity insurance as a man! Un-freaking-believable if you ask me. But.... Socialism has always taken over democracy so why not cut to the chase and establish it here in the beautiful United States of America since we are not educated enough to understand how much freedom is taken from us when socialism occurs.

One benefit has come from this, but I am afraid it is to late. Democrats have fallen by 10 points in a CNN poll that asks which parties registered voters would vote for in the 2014 midterm elections. I say this might be to late because I don't know if Republicans will be able to overturn Obamacare and give us back what was affordable health insurance before Obamacare was enacted. Still, there is hope that the American people have learned fro this even if the lesson has to be learned from their wallets.

Congressional baseball game as a staff

As I begin to finish up this blog, I completely forgot to write about the fun time we had as a staff when we went to the Congressional baseball game. Back in June if this year, Congress held their annual blue and red game with the House Democrats in their traditional blue and the House Republicans in red. We finished work an hour early and made our way to the National's stadium to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation. When we arrived, we were treated to some awesome Mexican food and unlimited drinks on the House (quite literally).

It was unfortunate that the Republicans got their butts kicked by the Democrats, but after all, they have much more time to practice while being the minority party ;). This was a great activity for us as we were able to go out afterwords and be ourselves outside of the office. I really enjoy these guys and I am going to miss them tremendously when it is time to leave. We are close enough to enjoy our time together and it means a lot that we can get out and spend time together.

The strengths of Rep. Salmon's (AZ-05) office

I've been asked what some of the strengths are for Rep. Salmon's office and I thought of one instantly. Sometimes it takes a second to ponder the strengths and weaknesses but not in this case. For the congressman's office, the biggest strength is youthfulness or at least the spirit of it. For more than half of the office staff, this is their first experience working in their roles within a congressional office. This strength also is true for the Congressman is this is his first term since returning to Congress since 2000. 

I must be clear, these guys and gals are not inexperienced nor is this their first rodeo. Instead, this is their first time at their position. For example, the Congressman's Chief of Staff, Adam DeGuire has been in politics for many years, but this is his first job as Chief of Staff. This attribute is very beneficial because of the ambitious attitude that is linked to it. No one is stuck on their old ways, nor do they complain about how their old boss did things. Instead, we come together and address conflicts or struggles, and we come up with a solution on how to overcome or accomplish the task at hand.

This attitude maintains a very positive attitude in the office that makes it exciting to come to work each day and to be a member of such a great team. 

The intern fatigue

One thing is for sure, I am tired. I am fortunate enough to not have to pay any rent while I am in D.C. because I live with my wife's cousin and his family. Unfortunately though, I have to commute 90 minutes to work and from work each day. This totals my time out of the home to 13 hours and only leaves a couple hours to relax at home before I need to go to bed.

What baffles me is the fact that this is the daily routine of thousands of people each day. According to the family that I live with, these commuters plan their entire lives around their work which causes depression and burn out. There is no way that I would live like this long term. If I was to work in D.C. full time, I would consider living north of D.C. which only requires a 30 minute commute.

Budget and Finance work

I have always loved budgeting and finance work which influenced me to have my finances in order before leaving the house at the age of 18. In six years, I paid off a car, financed school with scholarships and cash, and worked 40-50 hours a week amongst three different jobs while earning at least 12 credit hours per semester which is considered full time. Number are within me. It is something that I obsess with regularly, however, I am not a penny pincher. I believe that cash is meant to be a powerful tool and if you have it, you have the right to spend it however you please or you can save it for that is your choice. I chose to pursue an MPA instead of an MBA because I understand financial peace and how far you can go with a balanced budget. Instead of pursuing money and projecting profits with an MBA, I want to prove that a city can receive very little money and still get by with small government. This might make more sense as to why I want to work as a city manager and why I chose to attend such a strong MPA program that is nationally recognised.

This internship has proven to me that the federal level is financially lost. There is absolutely no grip on the financial system and there are to many hands in the money bag. I have seen a city budget and I am excited to approach it with the mentality to finish each year with a surplus.

Working in local government or federal government?

I have really enjoyed my responsibilities while interning for Rep Salmon, but I came here with the desire to understand the federal system as a strength in working on the local level. So, have I been convinced of working for the federal government? The answer is still....no. I have been fortunate enough to be given tasks here that has brought exposure, but to be truthful, I feel disconnected to the people that I love.

I'm very happy here but I feel like my voice, and the voice, of everyone is controlled by red tape and ridiculous policies that everyone believes are irrelevant. This is absolutely the reason why I find so much joy working at the city level. Yes, I do want to remain focused on being a City Manager and I am excited to begin my studies at ASU as a student in the Master's in Public Administration program.

I believe that one of the reasons why one can impact local government more than the federal government is because of the accountability that exists with smaller government. With smaller budgets and more eyes on the few public officials, there is more pressure to get things done. This is not the case in D.C. as billions of dollars are spent ans wasted each day. This drives me crazy now and I am positive that I will always drive me crazy.

One example of how each member of the US House demonstrates public service

When I came to D.C., I was fully aware of the D.C. office structure for each member of the US House. One thing I wan not fully aware of is the fact that each member of Congress is allocated funds to maintain local offices in their districts, and this is what i want to talk about. Each House delegate received money that allows him or her to open up local offices that serve the community. For Rep. Salmon, he has an office in Gilbert Arizona that serves as his outreach center.

This office is the perfect example of public service because all they focus on is community support. The support staff are called "case workers" and they assist with the following; 1) assist with the IRS and tax struggles; 2) they assist with passports when people do not know how to apply for one; 3) they help recognize locals who stand out in unique ways. These case workers are lead by the District Coordinator who is hired by the member and Chief of Staff. Essentially, the District Coordinator is a deputy Chief of Staff and assists with local issues while the Representative is away for most of the year. For Congressman Salmon, this individual is Chuck Grey.

As you can imagine, these case workers are very busy which means that they need interns. This provides a great opportunity for young people to experience public service on a local level if they cannot afford the expenses required to move to D.C.

Leadership and introducing Adam Deguire

Today I wish to discuss leadership and how it applies to my internship. Leadership is a traight that can only be mastered by the individual seeking the characteristic. I believe that anyone can gain leadership qualities, althought it comes easier for some. At the U.S. House of Representatives, it is clear who leads as Representatives and who follows. I believe Congressman Salmon leads with integrity and that traight trickes down through the staff.

They provide me with couple opportunities to lead. first, I lead the tours at the Capitol. I have full authority to take my constituents anywhere I want to go within the tour rules. Leading in this way allows me the opportunity to get a feel for what the guests want and what interests them. This taught me that when you lead to benefit you, others are nothing more than your consequence, but when you lead to help people, others can be blessed by your actions.

Everyone staff member of Rep. Salmon is a leader. Adam, Olivia, Jenell, Greg, Kristine, Lorissa, Lliam, and Jonathan all possess individual leadership skills that are specific to them. This is why Rep. Salmon is gaining respect and attention so quickly. It is because he staff is so dilligent and they lead by example.

I believe that Adam Deguire, Chief of Staff, is a great leader. Leaders aren't always appreciated because they are the ones that make the tough decisions, but Adam is one who takes this seriously. I have appreciated his leadership qualities since I have been in D.C.

Exploring different careers on the Hill and introducing Lorissa Bounds

When I came to D.C., I never thought I would want to live here. Back in Arizona, I only commuted 15 minutes to work with rush hour, I went home after 8 hours of work, and I lived a life of much free time. Here is different. I commute an hour each way and I am one of thousands of workers who do so, we work 10 hour days, and I arrive home around 8 and maintain a 10pm curfew in order to get up on time. Still, there are jobs that are intriguing here in D.C.

First off, there are lobbyists and consultants all over the district. Many of these people enjoy the comforts of their home away from D.C. and fly in a couple days a month to lobby. This is the same for consultants who leave their profession with success and come back on occasion for advice giving. This is arguably one of the harder jobs to get because of the many perks. I personally would love this job because I enjoy the D.C. atmosphere and the work load, but I never wish to live this life style day-in and day-out.

Second, you can work for a Representative in the district office which allows you the chance to stay in politics, yet live in the district and not in D.C. This is a great profession for individuals who truly love local government and service to others. The district office specializes in case work and represents the Representatives when he or she is attending to other duties. I am not no hip on this job as I find casework boring but it is something to think about.

I now wish to introduce Lorissa Bounds, Deputy Chief of Staff. Lorissa has been in this field for several years and her knowledge is most valuable in the office. Lorissa takes on Foreign Affairs which is key to Representative Salmon and his work as chair of the Western Hemisphere committee. I believe that Lorissa is a great supporting role to the Congressman and she is qualified to work in various capacities in D.C.

Professional Profile: Chris Brady, City Manager of Mesa, Ariz.

An assignment was given to profile a professional who I look up to and and aspire to be like. I have chosen to profile Mesa's City Manager, Chris Brady because I believe he emulates a great City Manager. Why? First off, City Manager Brady agreed to the position with Mesa in a time when the city was dealing with a budget deficit to the lost in tax revenue and large amounts of citizens moving to nicer areas in the east valley. Second, Mesa was suffering from a reputation that the City is a "has been" and has no more potential. With his efforts, the city has leveraged federal grants and is now in a clean-up stage. The city is looking much nicer and more business are increasing revenue which in turn, goes back to the city. I have an enormous amount of respect for the man knowing that he assists with the city's 1.2 billion dollar budget. This is an incredible task for anyone and I wish that someday I can oversee a budget that large when I eventually run a city as the City Manager. 

While shadowing City Manager Brady, I learned that he earned his Master's in Public Administration (MPA) degree at Brigham Young University (BYU). He eventually took a job in City Finance upon graduation and after 7 years, moved on to bigger roles that qualified him to run a city. To try to mimic that pattern, I work in finance, but my financial work is in the private sector. Once I graduate with my MPA degree from Arizona State University, I will seek out the opportunity to work in city finance. After several years in finance I will begin searching for deputy roles in the filed of City Management. I want to work as a City Manager because I love working with finances, I love allocating resources, and I do not wish to run in elections. 

City Manager Brady gave me several bits of advice, and some of which I am currently applying. He recommended that I attended a respected MPA program and ranked ASU in his top 3 choices. He also advised me to gain as much financial experience as possible. As I do these, I hope that I will be able to find work in public sector finance. 

Career Fiesta Internship and Career Fair held at ASU's Tempe Campus

On Wednesday, September 25, I went to the Career Fiesta Internship and Career Fair held at ASU's Tempe campus. Even though I am currently employeed as the financial manager of Air methods, I always enjoy going to these events to see young adults strive for work. Knowing how to work is a fundamental principle in our American culture and if lost, we will begin to lose the great freedoms that we cherish. I can only hope that our "video game" generation will want to work as hard as our parents and grandparents. When I attended the fair, I felt a sense of entrepreneurship as hundreds of students were searching for opportunities to succeed in the work force. This made me happy and provided encouragement in knowing that our great country still strives for self relience and individual success. Some of the top top companies that participated in the event were Progressive, Geico, Vanguard, Allstate, and the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

 

Many of the companies were looking to recruit summer interns that could work for them during the summer with the goal of being hired for a full-time job following graduation. This is a great chance for students to put some money in their pocket for a season and build connections that may take them far once they graduate. Other companies were offering student employment of 10-15 hours a week with a goal to become full-time following graduateion. Both are viable options for students looking for exposure, connections, and money. I am all for interships, especiually paid ones, because my intership in the U.S. provided an opportunity to be where I am today.

 

 

    

Recruiting Representatives to sign on to a bill and introducing Greg Safsten

Washington is a big place and nowhere for small people. That is why you must gain friends quickly and build a powerful and influential network if you want to get any legislation passed through the House of Representatives. This week Greg Safsten from the back office introduced me to legislation that the Congressman wants passed by the House. 

Greg assigned me the task of contacting nearly 100 members of the Republican Party to request their co-sponsorship to our bill. To co-sponsor a bill means you put your name on the bill in the beginning stages and throw your support to the legislation. This time around the bill wasn't received by as many Representatives as I had wanted but the experience showed me how far you can push a bill through the system when you have support. Congressman Salmon is very well liked in the House and many Congressman and Congresswomen respect him so in no way is this a sign of weakness as he has had support in previous bills. 

Since Greg’s name came up, now is a good time to introduce him. Greg is a successful dude he takes his job serious. He knows his stuff and has a strong view of politics. He is responsible for responding to constituent inquires which usually means he is responsible for making sure everyone eventually responds to letters sent to the Congressman. Greg also takes on a couple of political issues with one of them being the Second Amendment. Greg joined the team when Congressman Salmon was running for election and then was hired after the win. In my opinion, Greg will always have a job wherever he wants to work.

Giving tours of the U.S. Capitol and introducing Jonathan Sarager

I have now been a member of Rep. Salmon’s Washington D.C. team for over a month and I feel more confident every day. With this blog, I want to take a moment and discuss my favorite responsibility, which is to give tours of the United States Capitol, and then I will close with introducing Jonathan Sarager.

The summer is a very busy time of year for the front office, especially with tours. Members of any district can sign up on their Representative’s website for a free tour of the Capitol building. When this is done the staff assistant confirms the tour date and time, and the tour is officially scheduled. Members of our district are very active when it comes to traveling to D.C. On a normal week, we will provide tours of the Capitol building to anywhere between eight to ten families a week. We will try our best to put a couple of families together and still, we will give at least one tour a day. 

Just in the last two weeks alone, I can recall several families who came to our office excited to start their tour. For most families, the tour of the Capitol building is the most anticipated part of their trip and I do my very best not to disappoint them. Our tours last about 90 minutes and I take them all throughout the building and help them feel like VIPs for the day. And the best part of the tour comes at the end when they are full of smiles and thanks yous. At that point, I send them on their way, sink into my chair, and recover from exhaustion. I have, and will continue to, meet wonderful people through this opportunity.

Finally, I want to introduce Jonathan Sarager (pronounced SAR-GER). Jonathan is a University of Arizona School of Law graduate, as well as a husband and father. In our time together, he discussed staying in D.C. and the possibility of becoming a lobbyist. He is incredible smart in the English language (hence the law degree) and is continuously striving to provide me opportunities to learn. I call him the “gentleman and scholar” of the office. 

F.A.R.M. Bill and introducing Lliam Morrison

This week one of our two legislative affairs coordinators (LA’s) asked me to read over the F.A.R.M. bill and summarize the bill into specific line items that tell the Congressman where every dollar will go. The project took me about four days but I could not ask for a better experience. I felt like a watch dog as I read through the entire bill consisting of roughly 80 pages with an estimated 150 funding items totaling nearly 860 billion dollars. I did my best to create an excel sheet that broke down every service and cost committed within the bill. Once I completed the bill, Lliam invited me to share with him my thoughts concerning the services provided within the bill. I expressed concern with how much money was being spent in certain fields and he helped me resolve some of them. He then prepared the final summary for Congressman Salmon.

 

When being asked to perform duties like this it is imperative that you work quickly and accurately. To avoid fatigue and burnout, I took on additional assignments and juggled all of them so that I could get some fresh air. It was also important to literally get some fresh air by going on short frequent walks. By doing all of this, I stayed fresh and motivated and completed the assignment in a reasonable amount of time.

 

Now is a good time to introduce Lliam Morrison. Lliam is from Texas and certainly has the personality of a Texan. He is tall and broad in his shoulders. His personality is such that his opinion does matter and if necessary, he can definitely care less of what people think. Lliam is bound for greatness but is currently doing his time in order to climb the latter. Lliam provided some great insights that proved beneficial throughout the summer. I appreciated his help.

Describing a typical day at my internship and introducing Kristine Michalson

As a clerical assistant, my daily responsibilities were very constant. Each morning I would come in and begin listening and logging voice messages from constituents who called after hours. We averaged anywhere between seven to seventeen calls each evening. Next, I would log all the faxes that were sent by political groups, private companies, political advocates, and constituents. This duty could be tedious as we received between 150-200 faxes each day. Following these two tasks, I would sort and distribute the newspaper to everyone in the office. After a couple of weeks I began to recognize who wanted what and by mid-summer, I never needed to ask who wanted certain newspapers. 

Once the above tasks were accomplished, the time reached 10am and I would either prepare for a morning tour of the Capitol or I would take on a research assignment from someone in the back office.  Often time this meant receiving, sorting, and filing correspondence mail, scan contacts into MS Office, perform research on upcoming votes, work on legislative House bills and resolutions in conjunction with the Chief of Staff, perform constituent case work, answer phones, and perform data entry on excel.

While doing all of this, I would also stop on a moment’s notice to answer the phones. In doing so, I would provide assistance in communicating with the public and members of the media and consistently and clearly explaining the Congressman's policies to constituents who call in. My days were busy and I very rarely looked at the clock. Before I could grab lunch, I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost time to go home.

I want to conclude this blog by introducing Kristine Michalson. Kristine is the communications director who handles all media inquiries and this often means it is her job to protect the Congressman from aggressive and often times deceiving media personnel who want nothing more than to smear the Congressman with embarrassment. She was amazing and I probably appreciated her the most as she was one who gradually increased my responsibilities throughout the summer. Whether it was trust or sheer bravery, Kristine allowed me the opportunities to excel in the area of the media.

 

Second week, Memorial Day, Introducing Olivia Vickers

Diary date: May 31

We had Monday off for Memorial Day and I took advantage of living in Washington D.C. on such a historic holiday. I started my day at Arlington cemetery where President Obama spoke to a couple thousand people. Arlington Cemetery was home to the Confederate general, Robert E. Lee. President Lincoln confiscated the several thousand acre plantation and dedicated it as a war cemetery.  This historic site is home to over 200,000 tombs, including our 35^th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

Following the speech, I made my way over to Pennsylvania Avenue for the annual Memorial Day parade. The parade was a must see according to websites offering advice on what to do in D.C. on Memorial Day but I became tired and uninterested after watching high school marching bands play the same three songs for an hour straight.

To regain my energy and interest in D.C., I ventured over to Ford’s Theatre and toured the very grounds that our 16^th President, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The museum is free to enter and a must see. The basement containing all original artifacts gives off a reverent feel that left me a bit emotional. After exploring the basement, I finished my stay by going upstairs into the actual theatre. I took a moment to reflect on the event and called it a day.

I now want to briefly talk about the Congressman’s scheduler, Olivia Vickers. Olivia is from Texas and is one of the nicest ladies you will over meet. I honestly do not think she has a mean bone in her body. She is always smiling which is an attraction in itself and she is always walking around the office with a chipper attitude. I’m telling you, the office would not be so warm and welcoming without her.

 

My first week and introducing Jenell Biggs

Diary Date: May 27

I just finished my first week and it was a blast! Every one of these guys in this office is great to work with and most importantly, no one seems like they are out to undercut their colleagues. The entire team took time throughout out the day to reach out and introduce themselves and offer assistant. I introduced myself the best I could and shared why I came to D.C. and what I wanted to accomplish and all the staff members began paving a way for me to accomplish my goals. I was real worried coming in that there would be egocentric people that cared nothing about anything except for their own career goals. I am lucky that this is not the case in Rayburn office 2349.

My supervisor is Jenell Biggs from Gilbert Arizona. This is Jenell’s first full time job working for a government official but she is no stranger to the political arena as her dad is currently the President of the Arizona Senate. Jenell is one of the individuals who you admire from the beginning. She is steadfast in her principles and unwavering in her standards. I have full confidence that we will get a long great.

After a couple of days learning the complicated layout of the chain of Capitol buildings, the office began sending me on frequent assignments and when I say frequent, I mean like four to five errands a day. I enjoy running these errands because it gives me a chance to get out of the office and see the beautiful Capitol building. I’m sure I will get tired throughout the next 11 weeks but I honestly do not see myself getting burned out by running all over the place because I have little time to tour on the weekdays so this is my chance. Plus, I have a badge that clears me to go back stage.

 

The duty of the U.S. House of Representatives

For this blog, I would like to explain a little about the United States House of Representatives and further explain what they do and what I did for them.

The United States House of Representatives has the responsibility of representing the citizens of the United States of America. Every two years, national elections occur in predetermined districts or boundaries to determine who will represent the individuals who live in the district that the candidates are seeking to represent. There are 435 members of the House and Arizona currently holds 9 seats. Of those nine, 5 are held by Democrats and 4 by Republicans. Representative Salmon is a member of the Republican Party and he serves the cities, in full and in partial, of Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek, and Apache Junction.

As you can see by the amount of cities just listed, our Representatives have a lot on their plate. To best serve the people, the Representative receives a budget to carry out his or her duties. To assist in those duties, Representative Salmon hired a Chief of Staff who oversees all staff and political activity, a deputy Chief of Staff who oversees all public policy, a communications director who oversees all media inquiries, a legislative correspondent who oversees constituent representative, two legislative affairs coordinators who stay up to date on assigned political issues, an executive assistant who maintains the Congressman’s schedule, a staff assistant who oversees all front office procedures, and them clerical assistants like myself who do nothing more than assist everyone in the office. I know this seems like a lot of staff members but keep in mind that there are nearly 1 million people in each district and over 30 active political issues currently being discussed at the Capitol building.

As a clerical assistant, my responsibilities varied from assisting staff's response to constituent requests for information, providing staff with information at their request, assisting staff with meetings, providing assistance in communicating with the public and members of the media, researching and responding to constituents' requests for information, consistently and clearly explaining the Congressman's policies, carefully identifying whether and how the Congressman disagrees with a given policy, being prepared each day to be politically astute and sensitive to requests by staff members or constituents that have the potential for controversy; clerical work – receive, sort, and file correspondence mail and phone logs, update and process complex records, perform research, work on legislative House bills and resolutions in conjunction with the Chief of Staff, perform constituent case work, answer phones, and perform data entry on excel.

INTRODUCTION

My name is Ryan Lee and I am a graduate student studying Public Administration at Arizona State University. This summer I had the privilege of working for Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) of the United States House of Representatives. Working for the Congressman was a wonderful experience, and just for clarity, this blog will be in past tense as I worked over the summer and am now submitting these blogs during my fall semester at ASU. My ultimate goal in my professional life is to work in management both in the private and public sector which is why I chose ASU’s MPA program with great excitement.

I had several goals going into the summer, including the following three; 1) to gain exposure on the federal level, meaning I wanted to see how government worked, what ruled and procedures were followed, and how the American people were represented; 2) I wanted to learn how to effectively assist an office. Since I am still learning how to manage, I signed on to the Salmon team as a clerical staff assistant and from this, I wanted nothing more than to know how to effectively assist eight to ten fast-paced employees; 3) I wanted to decide whether I wanted to eventually run for office.

I know the outcomes of my goals; however, I wish to discuss a summary of my goals at the end of the semester. Instead of coming out and sharing my thoughts of the completion of the goals, I want to share my experiences with you in hopes that you can decide if I accomplished my goals bit by bit. In my final post, I will evaluate the three goals mentioned above. I hope that this blog can be both insightful and educational, and just maybe; someone will learn from me and take my experiences to heart.