Intern Profile: Katie Trzaska

I interned at Common Cause because I wanted to experience working at a non-profit advocacy group.  This was a great opportunity to explore what it was like to work with professional non-profit lobbyists in a successful organization that work for the good of the people, not for for-profit special interests.  It was also a great opportunity to explore a policy area that I might interest me in the future: media law and regulation.    

My internship responsibilities included contacting Congress offices to collect various information, researching various media and democracy topics, and compiling reports on current policy issues.  I also worked as a phone-banker for the team that was working on public financing legislation in the state of Maryland.  In addition, I was able to attend policy presentations on the Hill, Maryland State Congressional hearings, and deliver paperwork to Congressmen and to offices in the Capitol building.    

As a result of my internship, I gained experience in policy research, preparing testimonials for Congressional hearings, while learning more about working in a professional office.  I learned how to use different resources to find information, how to work under tight deadlines, and how to present the most pertinent information in reports and presentations.  I also learned how to write blog entries on important topics in order to spur discussion on the Common Cause website.    

I feel my internship has prepared me for my future and has helped me develop as a professional by putting me in professional situations that I was not wholly comfortable with or prepared for.  My internship gave me great insight into the non-profit lobbying world, with all its successes and difficulties, on both personal and professional levels.  By observing what went on around me, I gained a lot of insight into my own personal career desires and what kind of work I would like to do in the future.