From CEBV Fellow to Senatorial Intern

This summer, I had the privilege of serving as a legislative intern in Senator Mark Kelly’s D.C. office. For someone from rural Arizona, stepping into the Capitol was surreal. I expected politics to live up to its reputation; cold, self-interested, and transactional. Instead, I found something very different: a culture of service that challenged the way I thought about leadership.

I arrived in Washington luckier than most interns. Not because I had a family legacy in politics or the prestige of an Ivy League degree, but because I had something more valuable; the unconditional support of my community. When I first received the offer, my excitement was clouded by costs: how would I afford housing, groceries, transportation, and a new wardrobe that met the Senate’s professional dress code? For a struggling college student, it felt impossible. But then I launched a GoFundMe and spoke across Yavapai County. Thanks to organizations like DORR, DWPA, CEBV, Prescott & Rimrock Indivisible, Yavapai College, and many others, I was given a platform and the support needed to turn this opportunity into a reality.

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On my first day, I was in complete disbelief. Polished buildings, a clean metro, and monuments rising at every corner, this was Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital. That sense of awe stayed with me throughout the summer. Senator Kelly’s office was in the Hart Senate Office Building, and when I first stepped inside and saw the U.S. Senate emblem on the conference room wall, it finally hit me where I was. But instead of being intimidated, I felt resolved. I took my Arizona grit and used it to stand tall, ready for the challenge ahead.

There were eleven interns in the office, all tied to Arizona in one way or another. That mattered. It gave us a shared understanding of the voices that came through the phones each day. We received hundreds of calls and letters, each carrying its own urgency. Some callers wept with relief simply to be heard. Others shouted in anger, convinced no one in Washington cared. Some were brief, almost resigned. But all of them had one thing in common: they cared. While many feel that the government has become detached from ordinary people, my time in Senator Kelly’s office showed me the opposite. Every comment was documented, every piece of casework was taken seriously.

While I worked the phones, documented concerns, and supported the team, I saw firsthand how relentless the Senator’s schedule was, meeting with constituents, voting on the Senate floor, and attending countless committee hearings. There was never a moment when he wasn’t working. Even in conversations with his staff, the respect they held for him was unmistakable. Some admitted that the only reason they worked on the Hill was because they respected his leadership so deeply; otherwise, they would have chosen a different path. It wasn’t just his work ethic that commanded that loyalty, but the example he set each day. Being able to ease his workload, even in small ways, felt like a meaningful contribution to the system I’ve come to value so deeply.

My passion for service wasn’t limited to the office. One of my favorite responsibilities was guiding Arizona constituents through our nation’s Capitol. It gave me the chance to share my deep appreciation for the history of our democracy and the symbol it has become. Whenever I led tours into the rotunda, I always began with a moment of silence, letting its magnificence speak for itself. It always did.

One tour I’ll never forget included a boy from Arizona who had just experienced a personal loss. He was a huge Johnny Cash fan, so I made sure to take him to the statue and give him all the time he wanted for pictures. At the start of the tour I asked if he could ever see himself as a senator, he laughed it off. But when I asked him again at the end, he hesitated, and I could see him weighing the idea more seriously. In that small moment, I felt like I had brought him closer to his democracy than he expected.

No matter how heavy the day had been, I never walked out of the Capitol without feeling renewed and ready to serve.

While there was always plenty of work to be done, Senator Kelly’s office never lost sight of what an internship should be: a learning experience. Our first responsibility was always to the constituents, but we were also encouraged to explore and absorb as much of Washington as we could. I attended committee hearings on defense, appropriations, and foreign relations. I sat in the House gallery during Hakeem Jeffries’ record-breaking eight-hour speech on budget reconciliation. Watching members rally around him with cheers and encouragement as he pushed through the hours was an unforgettable experience. Watching policy take shape in real time, and meeting the people who helped move the needle, was an education no classroom could match.

When I look back on this experience, I see more than a line on my resume. I see the community that made it possible. I see the veterans, families, and everyday Arizonans whose stories moved me. I see my fellow interns, who all took different paths to serve the same mission. I see that civic engagement isn’t optional. It is the foundation of our democracy. Most importantly, I see that public service isn’t a career, but a responsibility. One that I intend to carry forward with integrity.

Jackson James participated in the Spring 2025 CEBV Fellowship Program, and his Capstone project was a plan to enlist someone under 30 to run for office by 2028. Many thanks to the CEBV supporters who contributed to his GoFundMe that allowed him to spend 2 months in Washington, DC interning for Senator Mark Kelly. Jackson is currently a student at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona.

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