During the summer of 2019, I worked as an intern with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Working with the Department’s Senior Air Quality Planner, I wrote memos outlining Virginia’s participation in a multi-state program to reduce pollution from the transportation sector. These memos had to clearly describe the official goals and positions of Virginia as they were requested for use in the Governor’s office. Another responsibility was representing the agency at a meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee and at a workshop of the Transportation and Climate Initiative in Baltimore, Maryland, which hosted stakeholders from twelve states and the District of Columbia.

I saw firsthand how vital state services are to constituents of Pennsylvania’s 27th district while working in the office of state representative Dan Deasy in the fall of 2018. I was originally skeptical of my ability to have an impact as a new intern, but I soon saw that I could improve people’s lives. As I assisted seniors with their taxes and helped veterans gain formal service recognition, I thought of my great-grandfather “Paps.” After working in the West Virginia coal mines for 36 years, he was denied governmental benefits for black lung treatment. Knowing how government failed him motivates me to advocate for policies that prioritize environmental and social welfare. By sharing my interest in environmental policy, I convinced my chief of staff to alert Rep. Deasy of the pending closure of several nuclear plants in the state. The closure of the plants would eliminate thousands of jobs and increase greenhouse gas emissions, derailing anti-pollution gains and jeopardizing the ability of the United States to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. I did not let the lack of a nuclear plant in Rep. Deasy’s district thwart my efforts. Working with a policy expert from a local environmental group, I wrote a fact sheet to educate Rep. Deasy on the issue. I met and convinced constituents to call Rep. Deasy to express their support for saving the nuclear plants. These efforts elevated the issue for the representative and persuaded him that the nuclear plants were worth saving. He later cosponsored a bill in the legislature that would financially credit the plants for their carbon-free contributions to the electrical grid. In March 2019, I organized a panel discussion featuring nuclear policy experts for students to contribute to the current policy debate in Harrisburg. Persuading legislators, experts, and citizens to support nuclear power has shown me that I can affect a political discussion even as an intern.