This summer I worked in the Senate President’s Office at the 31st Legislature of the Virgin Islands where I performed various office tasks as needed and helped to oversee and organize the inflows of information, managed daily office operations, which included the management of constituent and inter-office correspondence, as well as serving as liaison between the various offices. I worked directly for the Senate President, Neville James, to conduct research on issues pertaining to his participation on various committees in advance of weekly hearings.
The most challenging part of my experience was just getting accustomed to an office environment where expectations are high and your input matters. As you get older, the focus of your internship experiences become much more concerned with understanding how you would fit as a part of an office team. I was fortunate enough to be the only intern in my office – and one of two staffers on St. Thomas – therefore, I was able to spend a lot of time on the senate floor and get a firsthand look at the many issues facing the Virgin Islands today. I not only learned a lot about the issues at hand, but I also learned a lot about what it takes to someday be in a position to deliberate serious judicial issues.