Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Senate Internship Opportunities for Nebraska’s Future Leaders

June 28, 2024

Last summer, my team and I launched our internship program in Nebraska and Washington. Over the past year, we’ve welcomed 23 young professionals into our offices. The experience gives future leaders from across our state an opportunity to serve their fellow Nebraskans. They gain valuable professional skills. They also receive hands-on experience working in public policy, communications, and constituent services. I’m grateful to each intern we’ve had so far for their contributions to our team. 

Great constituent service is my number one priority in the Senate. It’s what taxpayers deserve. That priority extends to each member of my team as well, including each of our interns. We serve you. We try to instill that mindset in every young Nebraskan that participates in our program. Part of that is making sure every Nebraskan who reaches out to our office with a question receives a response. During times of high volume, that wouldn’t be possible without interns. They can sometimes be the first point of contact a Nebraskan may have with my office. Ensuring your concerns or questions are not only heard, but also answered is critical. 

We give interns real-world experience about working in public service. Interns in our offices are fully integrated into our team. They participate in all-staff meetings. They assist with research projects on navigating the federal bureaucracy or policy ideas. Interns in our state offices can also help organize Mobile Office Hours and other outreach events across Nebraska. In Washington, they’re able to work with my communications team to staff press conferences and TV interviews. They may also meet visitors from across our state at the Nebraska Breakfast events that take place each Wednesday the House and Senate are in session. 

The goal of any generation should be to leave our nation in a stronger state than we inherited it. That’s why I’m fighting so hard against Washington’s overspending. It’s why I believe we need to secure our borders and end the Biden administration’s appeasement-first foreign policy. These are big problems. It’s going to take all of us to solve them. Interns bring fresh perspectives, new ideas, and a passion for finding solutions to the challenges facing our nation. Our internship program works to translate that into tangible experience that will make our country stronger. We cultivate patriotism, solutions-oriented optimism, and the professional skills needed to go tackle public policy challenges facing our communities. 

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for our internship program, I encourage you to visit our website,www.ricketts.senate.gov/internships. We are currently accepting applicants for the Spring of 2025 and Summer of 2025 sessions. Spring 2025 applications are due October 1, 2024, and Summer 2025 applications are due February 17, 2025. 

My team and I are here to serve you. Contact us anytime by phone at 202-224-4224. You can also view my website at www.ricketts.senate.gov/contact.