"Realized My True Calling;" Co-Curriculum Reflections with Isa de Rosa Fries '27

Junior year at Madeira offers a unique opportunity for high school students: a five-week internship on Capitol Hill, working in a Congressional office or with an advocacy group. While even some college students miss out on this opportunity, every junior completes this rite of passage on her way to graduation. For over 50 years, Madeira's one-of-a-kind Co-Curriculum program has placed students in the front row of history, earning valuable workplace experience along the way. Today we're excited to chat with Isa de Rosa Fries '27 about her experience interning on the Hill this year.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Isabelle de Rosa Fries, and I go by Isa. I am Junior boarder from the Northern Neck of Virginia. I participate in Model UN, Global Youth Leadership, and Track at Madeira. In addition, I am a Co-head of Madeira’s SACA club (Sexual Assault and Consent Awareness) and am the Treasurer for Madeira’s Fashion Club. I also tutor a student with the program Tutoring Chicago once a week and work at a café when I am home.

As a junior, you had the opportunity to work on Capitol Hill for five weeks. Who did you intern for? Describe a typical day working in the office.

I interned for the Virginia Senator, Tim Kaine. On a typical day I would first organize voicemails from constituents about ongoing issues and then would go ask either my supervisor or a HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) committee Staffer if they needed help with anything. They would then ask me to organize mail, run an errand, write a memo on a bill, write bios for hearing witnesses, or do research for a bill they wanted to propose. I would then complete the task and ask for another one and so on and so forth.

What was the most memorable moment from your time working on the Hill?

By far the most memorable moment of my internship was the first meeting I got to sit in on. It was a meeting between a lobbyist and two HELP committee staffers about a program that focused on teaching students in grades K-12 from Title I schools about maritime trade. The program is free, based in Virginia, and includes field trips, summer camps, and job certification programs. Before the meeting, the staffers told me that I would introduce myself at the beginning of the meeting and that they would leave room for me to ask any questions or give any input at the end. At the end of the meeting I asked the lobbyist if he planned on expanding to any rural areas as the program was primarily focused on the urban Suffolk/Norfolk area of Virginia. He then said he would love to, but that he did not know where to start. I told him I knew the perfect place for him to start, and recommended he look at my community. He took a picture of my county on the map, and I even gave him someone to contact if they ended up expanding there. I do not know if that conversation made any difference in the long run, but it opened my eyes to how I could use my opportunities to help my community and others like it. It made me realize that I was not in a helpless position, wishing things could be better, but that I have an opportunity to effect real change. I will always remember that moment as the first time I advocated for my community and the moment I realized what I would want my career to be.

^{Isa and Senator Tim Kaine (courtesy of the Senator's office)}

What are some of the biggest takeaways from your internship?

My biggest takeaways from my internship are that I know more than I think I know and to always trust myself. There would be times when I would be given an assignment and have absolutely no idea where to start or what the person who assigned it to me wanted. I would then of course ask clarifying questions, only to be more confused. I would eventually be either too embarrassed to ask that same question for the tenth time or feel too bad to do so and would therefore be forced to follow my heart and hope for the best. I figured that if I tried my best doing the wrong work, at least I tried. I am happy to report that every single time I trusted myself it was not only exactly what they wanted, but also exceeded their expectations.

How did your internship impact your plans for the future (senior internship, college, career, etc.)?

My internship helped me realize I would like to go into education policy as an adult and has thus provided me with much more direction for my future.

Current Plan:

1. Receive Bachelor’s degree in public policy and economics
2. Become a teacher through Teaching for America
3. Teach for a while
4. Work in education policy
5. Become a HELP committee staffer at some point
6. Become a lawyer, governor, Senator, or do something with a non-profit
7. Overall just change the world for the better!!

Anything else you'd like to share about your Co-Curriculum experience?

• During my internship I had the privilege to not only write multiple memos and witness Bios for HELP committee hearings, but also got to go to every single hearing I worked on. I also got write part of the memo about the Casey Means Sergeant General hearing that got cancelled.
• My Junior Co-Curriculum placement gave me a much better understanding of how our government works and provided me with lots of valuable connections. 
• If going to work on Capitol Hill was not required of me by Madeira, I would have probably never have gone and would have not realized my true calling until I was much older. Thank you, Madeira!! 

Thank you for sharing, Isa! We can't wait to see how you'll continue to explore this newfound passion during your Senior internship and beyond. To read more quick takes, please visit our Co-Curriculum wall.

_{#MadeiraCoCurriculum #MadeiraInternships #MadeiraGrade11 #MadeiraCapitolHill #Law #Advocacy #MadeAtMadeira}