Wow— what a week! So far, WLP weeks have been filled with momentum and energy. Days fly by with the fast pace of my internship with Congresswoman Jayapal’s DC office and then frequent evening programming with the 2020 WLP cohort.
At my internship, I’ve been working on projects with the other legislative interns on the team and have enjoyed learning from everyone in the office. The team has been incredibly welcoming and accessible, which has been really helpful and exciting during a time of virtual work. We have routine intern check-ins with our supervisor, and are able to set up virtual coffees with anyone on the team, so it has been great to e-meet people! I’m grateful to be working with Congresswoman Jayapal’s team, and have definitely been learning so much each day. It has also been interesting (definitely different) to wake up every morning to begin a day of 9am-5pm work in my own home. There is something stable about being in the same exact place each day and creating an almost identical daily schedule for myself, while the work we’ve been doing has been dynamic and different hour by hour.
The start of this week was especially exciting, because Congresswoman Jayapal talked with the interns working in her office! Interning with her team is an honor, and getting to speak with her was definitely a highlight of this week.
In terms of WLP programming, we had a lighter week as we approach the July 4th holiday. On Wednesday, our cohort met with Neha Sampat for a workshop on imposter syndrome. Neha spent two hours with us, talking through research on imposter syndrome, anecdotal examples, and tactics we all could use to work against imposter syndrome. Her genuine investment in empowering us, as a group, was so noticeable by the individual questions she asked us. In general, one of the most inspiring and thoughtful parts of WLP programming, in my opinion, has been the clear enthusiasm each of our speakers has had in sharing their insights and helping us grow. WLP has felt like a large team since our first day of orientation, and each one of our events has been packed with tangible advice and tools for us to implement new practices and habits into our daily life.
Apart from our scheduled events, our cohort meets often to work on our project. One of the most unexpected parts of the fellowship has been how close our cohort has become in a virtual world. Through spending hours together on WLP events, project calls, and more casual Zoom sessions each week, we’ve begun getting to know each other pretty well in both a professional and personal capacity. Hillary, Krithika, Mihiri, Rucha, Shreya, Tarun, Vignesh, and Vishwa are some of the most thoughtful, knowledgeable, fun, and kind people I’ve had the opportunity of meeting and our cohort family has been a true highlight of this summer. Our cohort is definitely going through a unique WLP experience in this virtual world, and I really look forward to the day we all get to meet in person. It’s incredible knowing we’re all here for each other not only throughout this summer, but going forward, too.
Lastly, this week, I also met with my WLP mentors. The program has paired each of us scholars with three WLP alums, and I've appreciated meeting with each of them and discussing my internship, the WLP experience, and my plans for remote school in the fall. The support from everyone in the WLP family has been inspiring, and I'm looking forward to what the next multiple weeks have in store for us!
Ananya Kachru
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-7)
Yale University