For almost exactly two months in the spring of 2020, I boarded a busy train at 8:30 in the morning three times a week. The short metro ride from Foggy Bottom allowed me enough time to eat my breakfast and listen to half of a daily news podcast before I made my way off the train, up the three consecutive escalators, and out of the Federal Triangle station, often carrying an umbrella to tackle the DC winter rain. Walking the few blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue took me past the infamous Trump International Hotel, a place where protestors often congregated and formed a unique backdrop that I would observe as I approached the 10th Street entrance of the Robert F. Kennedy Main Justice Building. Every day I greeted the security guards, flashed my government-issued ID badge, and hid my amazement at the fact that I was even allowed in the building—a feeling that never quite dissipated, no matter how many times I made the trip.
I spent the semester at the U.S. Department of Justice as a Digital Communications Intern at the Office of Public Affairs. I worked closely with four other interns—two in Media Affairs and one each in Multimedia and Speechwriting—who were always kind, supportive, and willing to help out if one of us needed it. Three of these interns had traveled from their out-of-state universities to work at the DOJ, which made me even more grateful that I attend GW, a school just a fifteen-minute Metro ride away from this opportunity. I applied for this internship on the recommendation of my friend from the Elizabeth J. Somers Women’s Leadership Program, a first-year living-learning community at GW which we both graduated from in the spring of 2019. This friend of mine had worked as OPA’s Multimedia Intern for the fall 2019 semester, and she encouraged me to apply even though I felt unsure about my qualifications. I’m incredibly glad that she pushed me further, because after a phone interview, a lengthy background check, and many dollars spent on business clothing, I became a DOJ Intern.
In the U.S. Justice Department, the Attorney General and his Deputy Attorney General oversee an extensive network of offices, divisions, and other smaller departments, each of which contribute a specialized service to the DOJ overall. The DOJ Office of Public Affairs (OPA) exists to inform the public of the activities and beliefs of the Attorney General and the Justice Department. It contains spokespeople for the main legal divisions and for current issues that the DOJ is focusing on. Basically, this department functions as the main point of contact between the entire DOJ and media outlets. I was initially interested in working at OPA because of this crucial role they play. As a Political Communication major, I’ve spent most of the last few years in SMPA learning about the ways that media cover politics and government, so I felt excited about earning the opportunity to see things from the other side.
Intern Responsibilities
The RFK Main Justice Building frequently hosts events in an elegant and historic room with high ceilings called the Great Hall. Located on the second floor, this is the site of any conferences, ceremonies, and other events that draw large audiences and high-profile speakers. Another regularly utilized space was the press room on the seventh floor, which holds press briefings by the Attorney General (though those are rare) or by other high-ranking DOJ officials, as well as smaller discussions and interviews. During many events, OPA interns are recruited to escort members of the press. With the exception of the reporters who have offices in the DOJ to cover the Department, all journalists are required to be chaperoned as soon as they step inside of the Justice building. This rule resulted in some awkward elevator rides shared by me and various reporters, but it did give the interns a false sense of importance when professional journalists had to ask us for the WiFi password or where the bathroom was.
The Office of Public Affairs is housed in a small hallway on the first floor of the RFK building. Most of our days as interns were spent in the front office, a room with four large desks where each of us completed the work we were assigned (transcribing or otherwise). One general task was answering phones. There were four total and they rang fairly frequently, the sound competing with the almost-muted television that played the news behind us at all times. Though the two Media Affairs interns usually managed the phones by themselves, I was brought in when they took lunch breaks or if there was an overwhelming amount of calls coming in. The phones in our office were the main switchboard, meaning that their number appeared on the DOJ website, so I received all kinds of questions, complaints, and requests from people across the country. In addition to phone calls, interns fielded any press inquiries that came through the DOJ website. We read each one and forwarded it to the corresponding OPA spokesperson so that they could respond with a comment.
I learned that professional life involves many, many meetings. I attended two different meetings every week with the Digital team; one to prepare for the week ahead and one to work on the upcoming Department podcast, The Justice Beat. In addition, every day at exactly 10 AM all members of the office filed into a conference room for the ‘morning meeting.’ Here is where the employees discussed the work they anticipated for the rest of the day; which press releases were going out, which federal lawsuits were of note, whether or not the office was preparing a statement on a certain issue, and more. The information being discussed was usually serious, but all of OPA—the spokespeople, the communications team, the press assistants—is supportive and kind, and always asked the interns how we were doing as we sat on the sidelines and took notes.
In my specific position, I worked mostly with the Digital Communications team at OPA, completing small tasks and assisting them with anything they needed. The head of communications is a compassionate, hardworking, and wonderfully self-possessed woman who also serves as the intern coordinator. From the very first day I met her I was impressed by the authority she commanded and the way she asserted herself in professional situations. Initially I was surprised by the high number of women in the Office of Public Affairs; I always assumed that these federal bureaucratic jobs were overwhelmingly male, so before I started the internship, I had prepared myself to enter a male-dominated space. Of course, the mere existence of women in a professional space does not automatically mean that it is devoid of all institutionalized sexism, but as I spent more time in the office I continued to be impressed by the confidence and intelligence of the women around me. After observing and learning from so many professional women, I definitely feel like I will be more secure in my future internships and eventual career.