Week 5
This week the GC’s office arranged for the interns to take a tour of the U.S. Capitol building. We met with a GC attorney who is on detail on the Hill and we also got to see the House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing Room in the Rayburn Building. While I’ve been to the Capitol many times for events, tours, and even work assignments, it’s always fun to be a tourist.
Additionally, this week I met Ambassador Tom Shannon for breakfast. Ambassador Shannon is a William & Mary alum, and I was introduced to him during a weeklong trip to D.C. in the fall with the MPP Program. He served as Acting Secretary of State during the transition from the Obama to Trump Administration and later retired as the highest-ranking member of the Foreign Service. He also served as the United States Ambassador to Brazil from 2010 to 2013. I reached out to Ambassador Shannon to get a better feel for life in the Foreign Service, as I continue to think about it as a career path.
On every occasion Ambassador Shannon has been gracious with his time, and our conversations have ended up focusing more on the news and policy implications than anything else. He has been nothing but encouraging and it has been very rewarding to connect with such knowledgeable alum.
I think it is also important to note that my experience in the General Counsel’s office continues to be both educational and rewarding. Dealing with appropriations law is completely new to me, but I am enjoying the work. While the Office assigned me a “mentor” attorney at the beginning of the summer, every attorney is willing to answer questions and give career advice. Although the General Counsel’s Office does not hire directly out of law school, I would recommend this opportunity to any law student interested in the federal government or international policy.