Student Internship Spotlight: Elliot Salguero
Class of 2025
Internship:
Constituent Advocate, District Office of U.S. Sen. Mark Warner
Degree:
Location:
Vienna, Va.
Duration:
Three months
What were your main duties and responsibilities as an intern?
My main job was to answer phone calls from constituents and respond based on their concerns. People call for all sorts of reasons—to voice their opinions, to ask about pushing certain legislation and to ask for help with specific issues. We track their calls and opinions and send them off to the Senator in a weekly report so his staff can respond appropriately. The other part of my job was helping with casework. When constituents have a problem, maybe with transportation or immigration, we serve as liaisons to connect them with the proper federal agency and caseworker that can assist them.
How did Marymount prepare you for this internship experience?
I learned a lot at Marymount that contributed to my success in this internship. For the past four years, I have been very involved on campus and have had to learn how to juggle a lot of things at once, and how to balance it all with grace. Entering the professional world, I wasn’t worried about the workload because I knew from experience that I could handle it. Also, my professors have been great with teaching us about professionalism and letting students know what to expect in an office environment. Those things helped me feel comfortable as an intern.
How has this internship supported your future career goals?
I am a Criminal Justice student and I plan to attend law school after graduation. I hope to focus on immigration law and help immigrant communities in the U.S. With this internship, I unexpectedly got to deal with lots of immigration cases, which was very eye-opening for me. Seeing the behind-the-scenes, nitty-gritty work that goes into tackling these cases was helpful. Also, working with constituents on a personal level was incredible. Most of them have exhausted all other options and are appealing to the Senator as a last-ditch effort. Seeing how we can impact these people and help them resolve their problems reignited my passion for immigration issues and reinforced that law is the route I want to go down.
What is your advice to other students looking for internships?
I would say start applying early and make yourself seen. I got my internship in large part thanks to a letter of recommendation from President Becerra’s office. I have been heavily involved on campus as an RA, working for Admissions, running clubs and competing as a student-athlete. I got that recommendation because they knew I was high-achieving and motivated as they had seen the good work I had done for the University. In a small school like Marymount, it is easier to get involved and make yourself seen, so take advantage of that!
