Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Jenni Sebora Column – 02/2/18



Off we went to the capital in August – Washington, DC. Our family has been there before; however, our children were young then, so it was a different experience this time. They now truly appreciate the history, museums, and charm of our nation’s capital.

Our oldest, our son, spent the summer in DC, so our visit was two-fold. This time, however, our son gave us the tour of the capital. It was a bit surreal. Him giving us the tour and teaching us about the history of the capital, bringing us down the stairs where those involved in inauguration of the newly-elected president stand and wait, and so forth and so on.

He was a busy intern with Senator Amy Klobuchar. One of his very desired duties was giving tours of the capital. Most of the tourists were Minnesotans.

If you have never toured the capital, you can sign up with a senator, preferably from your state, and then his/her staff give the tours.

Our son absolutely loved this piece. He is a history buff, as well as loving the social and communication aspect of this duty.

At the beginning of his internship, he, along with all of the other interns from all of the states, were instructed on the history of the capital, and received literature they had to study.

They also received flip cards about each senator, their names, and what state they represent. This was a study guide to memorize.

My son now knows the names of all of the senators, what party they belong to, and the states they represent. Amazing! He also met many of them on various occasions.

I would receive various texts throughout the summer, indicating who he met that day. It was pretty exciting.

Interns were also privy to attending various speeches and lectures given by various US officers, such as the education commissioner. These talks were specifically for interns. Because Klobuchar was on the committee in hiring/appointing the FBI director, my son had the honor of meeting him, as well.

Whether you agree with the various platforms that senators, representatives, and our leaders stand on, it is still an honor to meet them. In fact, my son shared that in his time there, he observed that the senators work really hard. (I am speaking of the senators, because these are who he had the most contact with). Many have cots in their offices for late night work, as many would end up sleeping in their offices on many occasions.

My son had respect for Senator Klobuchar prior to his experience, but now he has even more. He said she is an extremely hard worker, very intelligent, well-spoken, and has a great wit and sense of humor. She is respected among her colleagues across all parties. In fact, she works on various issues, chairing different platforms with her colleagues – with and across party lines.

As part of the breakfasts that Klobuchar hosted each Thursday for Minnesota visitors, the interns were in charge of picking up the pastries, setting up the breakfast, and giving the tours of the senate chambers and the capital. Each week, the pastries were baked and delivered from various bakeries in Minnesota. Klobuchar would talk about the given bakery of the week.

At the breakfast we attended, she shared about her favorite Scandinavian Minnesota bakery and the background of the pastry and her family. She is a great storyteller. as well.

In her office, she has different pieces of artwork from Minnesota artists. She talked about the artwork and what each represented about our great state.

I could go on about my son’s experience (of course, I am a mother) as an intern at the US capital.

He spent a lot of time with the other interns from other states seeing Washington, DC. He can give you the best itinerary for DC, as he did for us. He can tell you the best way to get around, where to go, what to see, and the best times of the day to see certain sites. He can tell you so many facts about our nation’s capital.

Interns were also able to attend caucuses and hearings if there was seating, which he took full advantage of.

He stayed at different places throughout his time there, but his main place of residence was in the dorms at George Washington University with the other interns. The dorms, once again. This, too, was an experience.

In fact, he should be writing this article, but I will tell you how valuable this experience was for him, and really how much respect he has for Klobuchar and many other senators and representatives.

If you get a chance to go to DC, take full advantage of the free tour and breakfast with your senator. It is well worth it.








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