Notes from the Field: Anabel Moreno-Mendez '19

Anabel Moreno-Mendez '19 interned for the Office of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley in Washington, D.C. during the 2018 Spring Term. The following is an excerpt from her internship report.

I chose to complete my Senate internship with Senator Merkley because of his character, integrity, and dedication to my home state of Oregon. He was also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and as a government major focusing in international relations, I knew that I wanted to get an inside look to how foreign policy was created on the domestic level.  As a part of my internship, I was assigned to various policy teams including the foreign relations, banking, judiciary, telecommunications, and press teams. I also assisted with constituent correspondence, front desk duty, tours, and a variety of tasks as requested.

While the intended focus of my internship was meant to be foreign relations, I was glad to have had the chance to contribute to diverse portfolios. I worked on projects with the foreign policy team and within fields I had yet to experience. I learned more than anticipated during my time working in Senator Merkley’s office. The internship expanded my career horizons and really allowed me to communicate and connect with staffers from a variety of different fields and backgrounds.

Additionally, I was given the opportunity to see and be a part of the entire confirmation process for the Secretary of State position. As a government major focusing in international relations, this was a super valuable experience for me. I helped staffers do the initial research on Mike Pompeo’s fitness in becoming the Secretary of State. I watched as my senator used some of the research I’d done as talking points when he spoke about Pompeo on the Senate floor. I later was asked to run a memo to my senator during the SFRC confirmation hearing and was in the building when Pompeo was ultimately confirmed by the Senate.

This internship has improved my confidence, and I now believe that I can be successful in any field I choose to pursue. As such, I’ve decided to explore as many different academic departments as I can in my remaining time at Dartmouth. My experience allowed me to gain a greater understanding of my working style and policy/career interests. After speaking to staffers with personal experience in the Peace Corps, I have decided to apply for Peace Corps immediately after graduation. I later plan to pursue a graduate degree. My Rockefeller internship was funded through the John French Memorial Fund, and I am forever grateful to the Rockefeller Center and the French Family for making this incredibly enriching internship experience a possibility. Thank you!