A hillternship is an internship on Capitol Hill. A Hilltern is someone who participates in a hillternship program. Members of Congress and congressional committees provide these internship opportunities to people of all ages and backgrounds. To be a Hilltern, all you need is a passion for politics and the drive to succeed. 

There are three basic types of internships: legislative internships, press internships, and committee internships. These programs are different in every office but they all have some things in common.

Legislative interns focus on policy and help the policymakers do their work. They go to briefings and hearings for staff members and write summaries about the events. These summaries help give policymakers the information they need to write good laws. Legislative interns also do research projects for the staff. Congress writes laws about many topics, and interns help congress research these topics.

Press interns focus on presswork and help manage social media and the website. Every congressional office has a Twitter account and a Facebook account, and some also have an Instagram account. Press interns help the press team announce what that member or committee is doing. Interns draft tweets and Facebook and Instagram posts. They help write press releases about recent news and may be asked to help draft op-eds. If you work for a member of congress, you will compile a daily list of every article that mentions your member. This helps that office stay up to date about what the press is saying about them.

Committee internships on the other hand are a little different in that interns rarely get to talk to constituents. Committees have a narrow focus and research only those issues. Committee interns, therefore, help staffers with research that the committee is focused on. It is therefore important when applying for this type of internship, that you are interested in that committee’s work… 

The most important part of a hillternship is you, irrespective of the type of hillternship you decide to pursue. Do not sell yourself short and have the courage to share your opinions and beliefs with the staffers from your congressional office. . Hillternships give people the chance to help shape the laws that run our country. Bring your perspectives and life experiences to Capitol Hill and make it a better place for all autistics.