Senate Internship:
Claiming independence through democratic participation.
Hello, my name is Carlos and this is a representation of one part of my journey to serve my community through participating in democracy as an Intern for Senator Ron Wyden's Portland Field Office. I am no stranger to democratic participation. I was raised in by activists and caring individuals who all strive to support their community. In my reflections I provide you with some of their stories.
My personal journey in politics started as a student volunteer with New Mexico Democrats during the 2012 general election. Since then I have worked on multiple electoral and legislative campaigns in both New Mexico and Oregon. I began working in campaigns the week I moved to Oregon in January 2018, through the Oregon State Public Interest Group (OSPIRG) and their environmental policy partner, Environment Oregon.
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a community of ambitious idealists who believe that democratic deliberation and communal agency are still fundamental ways to advance social equity.
My personal journey in politics started as a student volunteer with New Mexico Democrats during the 2012 general election. Since then I have worked on multiple electoral and legislative campaigns in both New Mexico and Oregon. I began working in campaigns the week I moved to Oregon in January 2018, through the Oregon State Public Interest Group (OSPIRG) and their environmental policy partner, Environment Oregon.
Si
a community of ambitious idealists who believe that democratic deliberation and communal agency are still fundamental ways to advance social equity.
The Senator
Senator Ron Wyden has served in the United States Senate representing Oregonians for nearly 30 years. He is the senior most federal representative in Oregon. Senator Wyden is Chairman of The Senate Finance Committee. He is also assigned to The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, The Senate Committee on the Budget, and is the leading senate democrat assigned to the Joint Committee on Taxation. The senator's primary role is to represent the interests of Oregonians relevant to national policy.
The Office.
My community partner for the term has been the Portland field office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. The primary function of a Senate field office is too serve the constituency that the Senate member represents. The office serves as the access point between the public and their representatives in the federal government. The office works in tandem with federal agencies in order to ensure that the public is able to effectively access federal services. Those services can include anything within the federal governments purview.
The Internship
Interns in the office are responsible for essentially whatever full time staff in the office require. The majority of work involves communicating with or on behalf of constituents. Interns are often the first person that a constituent is in contact with when they contact the office. We are responsible for making sure that constituent's comments and needs are represented accurately to full-time senate staffers, who are the parties responsible for directly addressing the needs of the constituent.