Student Experience
Summer intern learns entrepreneurial skills at a fledgling UR alumni company
Richmond student Liam Nyland spent several weeks courting wholesale clients for Timeless Patents’ artwork.
UR students spend a summer exploring politics, policy, and public service
August 15, 2025
Student Experience
Internships with elected officials revealed the inner workings of the federal government and provided clearer career paths for three School of Arts & Sciences majors.
Junior Sawyer Bernard spent seven weeks providing services to constituents as an intern for Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. She said the experience gave her a clearer understanding of the connection between policy and people.
Bernard, a philosophy, politics, economics, and law major with a concentration in politics, plans to study constitutional law after graduation. She chose to intern for Senator Klobuchar because of the senator’s stance on women’s health and women’s rights. Having lived in Minnesota as a toddler, Bernard also has personal ties to the state where her grandparents still reside.
Her summer internship was split between constituent services and legislative support. She assisted senior staffers with research, writing briefs, and first drafts of policies. She also answered phone calls.
“At first, answering phones all day felt a little underwhelming,” Bernard said. Then a staffer shared with her that it was important to understand the connections between the small tasks and the larger impact they could have.
“That helped me realize that by answering the phones, Senator Klobuchar stays better informed about what her constituents are thinking,” Bernard said. “She needs that information to make well-informed political decisions.”
After spending a month last summer interning with the Colorado Supreme Court, Bernard chose to work on Capitol Hill. She wanted firsthand experience with both the judicial and legislative branches as she makes decisions about her future career in law. Her two internships affirmed her plans to focus on the judicial side.
“It was nice to see the inner workings of the legislative branch.” Bernard said. “Going to law school is a tough decision and takes extra time and resources, so it’s good to know that I’m making an informed decision.”
A newfound appreciation for politics
Over the past two years, junior Greta Weinsheimer tried out a few biology classes, but it didn’t feel like the right fit. Weinsheimer is now an economics and politics major and hopes to gain a better understanding of how government policies affect people.
“I’m interested in becoming an economic policy analyst,” she said. “I feel like there’s a disconnect sometimes between the politics and the actual effects of policies. I would love to bridge that gap.”
Junior Greta Weinsheimer pictured here with (from l to r) Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, Rep. Bobby Scott, and Sen. Tim Kaine.
Weinsheimer wasn’t sure if she wanted to work in politics, where those policies are developed, or for a research institution that studies their impact. That’s why, this summer, she spent six weeks interning on Capitol Hill for Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.
“I thought I was going to hate politics, but I ended up loving it,” she said. “I found it to be a lot more on-the-ground and research-based, with a lot of teamwork.”
Weinsheimer said her work was largely split into interacting with constituents and supporting policy research. She answered phone calls and emails from Virginians, helping direct them to resources and relaying their concerns about state and national politics.
On the policy side, she researched SNAP and Medicare benefits in Virginia, wrote a policy memo on school choice, and wrote briefs about policy hearings and witness testimonies.
“I did a big research project on the impact that Medicare cuts would have on Virginia, and then I answered calls from constituents who would say, ‘I’m on Medicare and I need it. I don’t know what I’d do without it,'" Weinsheimer said. “It reminded me that this work matters a lot, and that I want to use my analytical and economic skills to help people.”
Navigating government agencies
Senior Lily Buerck was looking for direct constituent engagement in her internship and found it back home in the 4th District of New Jersey, working for Representative Chris Smith. Residents contact the office for assistance navigating government agencies, whether it’s tax and Social Security questions or to find out how to get an expedited passport.
Buerck, a global studies major and Arabic and leadership studies minor, is interested in foreign policy. Her internship with a legislator was meant to be an introduction to a future career in government.
“I hope to be on the Hill next year,” Buerck said. “Before this summer, I had no idea how the IRS works, or Social Security, or anything like that.”
