Community Action Award Winner: Tayler Butler
My time in the Senate has garnered me extraordinary experiences—being able to really work with people who cater to the many needs and visions of their constituents. Although I am not so sure I want to return back to Congress, interning there has definitely given me insight into the profession that I have interest in—journalism and research. While there, I have attended so many interesting briefings on the value of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the benefits of integrating schools both socioeconomically and racially, how the U.S. can best support torture victims, the different factors that may give rise to crime and violence, and how crime is quantified. I have learned so much from these briefings, including how research is conducted and how research reports are drafted, as well as how these briefings are planned and coordinated to disseminate this information. On the Hill, I was able to witness legislators speak on the floor, including the filibuster on gun control which followed the Orlando shooting. And I was able to see how my legislator worked on issues regarding gun control, which included me doing research on smart gun technology, which was a part of an executive order implemented by the President. One of my favorite experiences on the Hill was being able to attend what the internship program calls Intern Lecture Series, in which prominent government and agency officials come and speak to a crowd of interns on their lives, their careers, and the problems that they have had to face while pursuing their passions. My favorite speakers were Jeh Johnson, who is the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, and Charles Bolden who is the current Administrator of NASA. Both spoke of the racial adversity that they encountered, one having grown up in the South and the other having grown up in the North. In my time on the Hill, I visited the White House—the East Wing—and was given a tour of the Pentagon by Amanda Simpson, who was a political appointee by the Presidential administration to be the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy. While on the Hill, I have been taught about racial diversity; sexual and gender diversity; lobbying; how and where to do advocacy work, and how to use many professional opportunities to propel me into what I really care about doing. My time on the Hill has been extremely fulfilling, and hopefully I can use what I know to create local platforms for which people can share their views and be inquisitive about the government that supports them.