Three of our interns in Parliament talk about their first day!
Three of our four interns are currently on Parliament Hill! Hear what they have to say about their first day below! NCCAR is very grateful to our generous donors who supported this program and helped us place these wonderful interns on the Hill. As these interns will state in their own words, interning on Parliament Hill is definitely an insightful and honourable experience. Stay tuned to hear more about these interns and our fourth intern, Jessica Daoud, later this summer!
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Maryam Jaffery – Hamilton, ON
MP Joe Comartin, Windsor-Tecumseh, NDP
“Arriving at Parliament Hill, I was greeted with the scenic view of three green copper-roofed buildings more famously known as the East, Centre, and West Blocks of Parliament. Continuing on my leisurely morning walk, I passed by the Confederation building where I had gone later on that morning to have my House of Commons identification pass made. Finally, I arrived at the Justice building where the Parliamentary office of MP Joe Comartin resides. Meeting Mr. Comartin, although, a brief encounter made me realize how fortunate I am to be enjoying the opportunity that I have been so graciously given.
Mr. Comartin and his parliamentary assistants Renée and Patrick, have made me feel very welcome appearing seemingly less as simply my mentors and more so as good friends. Moreover, throughout the day, I had the opportunity to attend both the National Staff Meeting and Question Period where I was able to meet numerous politicians and staff members of various parties. As a result, I was able to gain exposure to the proposed arguments by the predominant parties as well as extensive insight into the formal legislative procedures. Most importantly, I had a lot of fun! I was able to truly enjoy the day resulting in a much more meaningful experience than I had initially expected. I am greatly anticipating how the remainder of my internship will unfold!”
———————————————————————————————————————————————
Ali Roumani – Ottawa, ON
MP Peter Julian, Burnaby-New Westminster, NDP
“My first day on the hill was a very great and engaging experience. As I entered the office in the morning I was not sure what was to come. I was calm, however I was anticipating a very extremely hectic and fast paced start which was what I was mentally preparing myself for. Upon arriving at the office by 9:00 AM I was greeted warmly by the office assistant Mounia. We got straight to work and the next thing I knew I was going from place to place and reading a 1000 page book on the Policy and Procedure of the House of Commons. Before I knew it, it was already 5 o’clock having been doing constant work and orientation. It was surprisingly easy to settle in to and not quite nearly as chaotic as I made it out to be in my mind before I stepped into the office. Overall, it was a great first day and I feel ready for what is to come.”
——————————————————————————————————————————————–
Rawan Kuliab – Ottawa, ON
MP Claude Gravelle, Nickel Belt, NDP
“My first day on the Hill was one of the most exciting moments of my life. The first thing I did was attend an NDP meeting inside Parliament Hill. At the beginning I felt nervous being surrounded by the official members of the NDP, but soon enough that feeling was gone becasue everyone was very welcoming and greeted me like an official member of the party. I enjoyed the enviroment on the hill and the office/administrative work I was given and felt like this is exactly what I expected and wanted to pursue a career in. Overall, I really enjoyed my first day on the Hill and look forward to the rest of the internship!”
Posted on June 07, 2013