Murkowski Announces First Session Summer Interns
High School Graduates Spend a Month Working in Murkowski’s Washington, D.C. Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced the names of her first session summer interns who will work in her Washington, D.C., office next month. Just weeks after graduating from high school, these young Alaskans will observe the operations of a fast-paced Senate office and the legislative process from an up-close view.
For the 1st session – running June 4-June 29, 2012 – Murkowski selected Arianna Cocallas, Connor Toohey, Michelle Fernandez and Elizabeth Wheatall of Anchorage; Zachary Vehmeier and Elizabeth Whisenhant of Fairbanks; Eva Colberg from Palmer; Bethany Hladick from Unalaska; Ashleigh Naneng of Bethel and Claressa Ullmayer from Juneau.
“I enjoy having interns in my office, and my staff and I greatly appreciate their energy and enthusiasm,” said Murkowski. “So many professionals in public service, including myself, can trace their career paths back to their introduction to the important work during an internship."
Senator Murkowski is also happy to welcome two Alaskan college students to serve as this summer’s intern coordinators. Mari Freitag of Ketchikan and Parker Haymans of Anchorage, both former high school interns, will supervise and counsel summer interns in partnership with members of Murkowski's staff. Freitag is a senior at the University of Alaska Fairbanks pursing a degree in Biochemistry with a minor in political science and justice. Haymans, a double major in political science and Spanish, is a senior at the University of Idaho.
Murkowski’s summer interns are recent high school graduates who assist in the office’s day-to-day clerical and administrative tasks such as directing mail, interacting with Alaska visitors and assisting staff with policy-related research projects. Additionally, two interns “shadow” Sen. Murkowski each day around the Capitol to gain a first-hand view of the Senator at work.
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