USA: Joseph O’Brien (Daily Life in D.C.)
Hi! My name is Joe O’Brien, and I’m a student in the class of 2024 interning in Washington this summer. Here, I’d like to show you what my normal weekday looks like, as a Wisconsinite in DC, as an intern for the National Organization for Women, and as a part of the Wisconsin in Washington program.
I start my day at 6:45 am by rolling out of bed, some days more grumpily than others. From there, I quickly throw on my running clothes and go for a jog through the neighborhood, as the early morning is the only time the heat isn’t too unbearable to run in. After doing my 3-mile loop, I get back to my apartment and shower. After getting ready for work, I walk to the nearby bus stop by way of Jacob’s and buy my morning iced white chocolate mocha and a croissant. By 8:55, I’m in the lobby of my office building, heading up to NOW’s suite on the third floor.
The next four hours consist of all the usual work for an advocacy group. I’m in the Chapters department, so my work mostly consists of dealing with state and local organizations affiliated with NOW. Normally, this means I’m either communicating with those chapters, organizing our campus action database, filing orders for them, or in meetings related to coordinating with them. One of my long-term projects is going to be to look into some of our defunct campus networks, actually including the one at UW! Whatever the case, by 1 pm I venture out of the intern office area to heat up the leftovers I’ve brought in to serve as my lunch. After my half-hour break, it’s back to more of the same, though I may also take some trips to the nearby post office with my supervisor to ship the orders we’ve filed that morning. On a more atypical day, we may be attending an event or being elsewhere outside of the office, like discussing our policy aims with the offices of different members of Congress.
Whatever type of day it is, by 5, my work is over, and I’m off to catch the metro back home. In the mornings, it’s easier to get coffee by way of the bus, but I like taking the walk from Union Station to my apartment after work to clear my mind for a few minutes. By 5:30, I’m back where I started, and from there I have any other number of things. Some nights have receptions or other events for the program, which are always fascinating but lead to a quick turnaround after work. Some nights are more relaxed, hanging out with friends here – both from Wisconsin and from elsewhere. Whatever the case, by 10 or 11 I’m getting ready to go to bed, ready to start the whole thing over again.
Washington D.C. might be the busiest city I’ve ever lived in. It’s always working, and so many people are still in their career mindset even after clocking out. There’s always networking to be done and people to meet, even during more laid-back time after work. But it’s a wonderful opportunity, and despite the long hours and busy days I couldn’t be happier to be spending my summer doing good work with NOW, learning so much about working in the center of our government, and meeting so many great people.
Joseph O’Brien
Hometown: Flemington, New Jersey
Major: Legal Studies, Political Science
Program: Wisconsin in Washington
My main goal is to build serious experience and connections in government and/or government-adjacent career paths. I’ve previously worked in congressional offices and the Wisconsin State Capitol, and I know that’s what I want to do for work after school. If I can build that kind of foundation in D.C., I’ll be very pleased with this program.
I’m very curious to see what the environment of working in D.C. is like – I signed up for my program for that, and I’ve heard it’s much faster-paced than even district offices or a state capitol. I also can’t wait to just get to take in the D.C. environment overall.