John Sellers isn’t old enough to work in Congress, yet the Cal State Long Beach senior will be able to work on Capitol Hill with the House of Representatives this fall.
Sellers, a 23-year-old senior who left for Washington, D.C. on Aug. 27, will spend 11 weeks working full-time in the office of a U.S. House Representative as part of his internship with the Panetta Institute’s Congressional Internship Program.
Sellers began his internship with a two-week orientation at Cal State Monterey Bay, where he learned from elected officials, government staff and policy experts.
The program invites one student from each of the 23 Cal State University campuses and two students from Santa Clara and Dominica universities each year to participate. The only university not represented this year is Cal State Fullerton.
President F. King Alexander said Panetta and CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed selected five or six candidates to represent CSULB. Ultimately, Alexander made the final decision based upon the student’s academic achievements and interest in politics.
“I interviewed John and thought he’d be a good candidate,” Alexander said. “He wanted to go there for the right reasons. He wants to absorb as much as he can and apply it to the rest of his career.”
Sellers said the courses he took at CSULB gave him his foundation for Washington, D.C.
“I would have been blind going into this if it wasn’t for Long Beach,” he said.
Sellers will work with U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-San Diego). The CSULB student said that he and Bilbray share the same party affiliation and views on health care, economics and education.
Bilbray participates in the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Republican Policy Committee. He also works as the Chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus.
Sellers said he will work on smaller tasks, like logging constituents and correspondence, answering the phone, giving Capitol tours, researching for legislation and answering any questions that arise.
“His initiative will determine what he’ll be doing here in D.C.,” Fred Tayco, communications director for Bilbray, said. “We don’t just have a slot for [interns] to fill, but rather we want them to work towards their future career.”
Sellers said after completing his internship and graduating from CSULB, he is open to what the future may have in store. He said he is considering the possibility of going to law school or even staying in D.C., but as of right now, he is just happy testing things out.
“I just have a big desire to explore more,” Sellers said. “From there I’ll work hard and get all I can out of my experiences.”