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Virginia Capitol C onnections, Spring 2015 27
VCCQM Salutes…..
Student Interns!
By Bonnie Atwood
They come by the dozens to Capitol
Square every winter. Leaving the comfort
of, like, the dorm room, the iPod, the college
hangouts, and the videogames, to work hard
for a two-fold cause: the sake of efficient
government and credit toward graduation.
Student interns: We salute you, we don’t
know how we’d make it without you, and
we love you.
Many interns choose to work for
legislators. We interact with them daily as
we travel through the General Assembly
Building. David Bailey Associates has been fortunate to have been
host to many interns who want to see how the other half lives: they
come to the beehive that is the home of our lobbying firm and all the
other lobbyists who rent our suite and come to pow-wows here.
They more than earn their keep. They start with the dawn and they
run till they have to go to class. They carry stacks of bills from the bill
room. They wear out their shoes running from building to building,
floor to floor, and room to room, with letters, documents, directories,
messages of all kinds. They copy, collate, clip, staple, fold, stuff, seal,
The Value of an Internship
By Ebony G. Scott
Unpaid hard labor doesn’t seem
appealing to most but there are a few people
who appreciate it. Internships are beyond
valuable to the average college student.
Being one myself I absolutely understand.
They are the gateways to our future.
I am currently an intern for David Bailey
Associates. I can honestly say I have gained
so much from this internship. Whether
I’m delivering Redbooks to the General
Assembly building, meeting government
officials, or just sitting at the desk proof
reading articles I’m always learning something. Internships provide
great opportunities and experience.
This article originally
appeared in the Spring
2005 issue of Virginia
Capitol Connections
Quarterly Magazine.
The opportunity is worth way more than getting paid. Just to have
a glimpse into what our future might hold is worth it. Internships
can lead to an actual job position. Who would want to pass up an
opportunity to have a job waiting for you as soon as you graduate?
The word we hear most when talking about a job or a career is
experience. Professors, mentors, and advisors constantly remind us
how important it is to have experience. If you think about it, it truly
is. If the person doing the hiring for your dream job sees that you have
experience you’ll be considered over any other candidate who does
not have experience. You might get hired for a position that is higher
than the entry level position.
Ultimately, the value of an internship is grand. All college
students need is an inch. We will take that inch and showcase our
skills to possible future business partners. We will astound anyone
who notices. Internships are a way for us to create opportunities for
ourselves and gain experience.
Ebony Scott receives her BA in Mass Communications from Virginia
Union University in May 2015.
stamp, and mail. They write letters, make phone calls, write stories
for the magazine. They sit in on our creative meetings and come up
with fresh, young ideas. They go to committee meetings and take
notes on our important bills. They save our lives.
They come through in tough times. I’ll never forget when a
featured speaker got snowed in from a Saturday legislative workshop.
David Bailey and I stepped up to take her place, but we wouldn’t have
looked as good without our intern, Carla. Her mom called her out of
a school basketball game and she hotfooted it over to pitch in at our
very successful workshop.
They give us glimpses of their lives. Over sodas and pizza, they
tell us their dreams. They seek encouragement, and we are happy to
give it. All too soon, they are gone. To all student interns, we say,
“You’re movin’ on up.” I think Dr. Seuss says it better:
“You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
Who soar to great heights.
“You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.”
Bonnie Atwood, a freelance writer with Tall Poppies Freelance
Writing LLC, is the winner of 24 national and state writing awards,
and represents legislative clients with David Bailey Associates. She
can be reached at
Calling all Virginia high school Juniors and Seniors!
Virginians for Integrity in Government is hosting an essay
contest entitled “My Political Hero”. VA high school
Juniors and Seniors are invited to enter the contest by
writing an essay up to 800 words paying tribute to their
living political heroes and heroines. The winner of the
contest will receive a $2,000 post-secondary scholarship.
VIG will also award $1,000 post-secondary scholarships.
The deadline for submissions is May 1st, 2015.
Virginians for Integrity in Government is a
nonpartisan, nonprofit educational organization with
the mission of providing concerned individuals a means
to get involved in government and make a difference.
The essays must be typed and submitted on www.
or mail to VIG Essays c/o David
Bailey Associates, 1001 East Broad Street, Suite 215,
Richmond, VA 23219. For more information and a full
list of rules, please visit:
Honor Your Heroes!
Virginia Student Essay
Scholarship Contest
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