Third-year law student completes internship with US Senator, finds passion
Cara Phillips, a third-year law student, has a passion for working in legislation. So, when the opportunity to intern in the office of United States Sen. Bob Casey, she jumped at the opportunity.
The six-week internship position focused on three main areas including foreign relations, national defense and veterans affairs. During the first three weeks of the internship the National Defense Authorization Act was being debated and Phillips was able to get a front row seat for the action.
“You have all of the big name senators and the up- and-coming junior senators presenting amendments and it was amazing to see everybody working to have their voice heard,” she said. “A few of the amendments came into the office I worked in and I was able to see from the beginning how we take the ideas of the Senator and write them into legislation.”
Phillips added that the internship allowed her to see first-hand the fast-paced professional federal environment and learn more about the legislative process.
“We were constantly going,” she said. “This experience will help me as I go into my 3L year because it will only get busier, and I learned a lot about multi-tasking, prioritizing and moving quickly and accurately, which is essential for a law student and a lawyer.”
The experience also gave Philips the opportunity to participate in events that focused on topics such as Foreign Service and immigration.
“The internship made me even more passionate about legislation,” she said. “It opened my eyes to a lot of the action issues that are not reported by the media. Sometimes law students may overlook the influence they have since we are so focused on our education, but there are a lot of action items out there that need legal advocates.”