Changemaker Catalyst Award recipient, Maggie Loversky, spent the summer interning at the office communications office of Representative Elissa Slotkin. Maggie is a senior (Class of 2021) studying political siences, social policy, and Spanish.
When I started working for Rep. Slotkin’s office this summer I was nervous; it’s easy to feel unprepared or unworthy working in a place like the Capitol. Being a Hilltern had always been a dream of mine, one that seemed like it may not be possible with COVID, and this summer I finally had the opportunity to try it out. Looking back, I shouldn’t have been nervous at all. Working with Rep Slotkin’s Communications team was a once in a lifetime experience that taught me so much about digital and communications strategy, working for a public servant, and making a real difference to constituents.
Working in Congress is always crazy, but summertime during a pandemic is the absolute peak of it. The past two years have caused a lot of pain and struggle for people, and we are the direct link for people to the federal government. It was our goal as a communications team to not only connect people with resources- COVID related or not- but show the district the aid we had helped secure.
One of the most important projects I did was relating to PPP, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and Shuttered Venue loans. I sifted through hundreds of thousands of Michigan loans to figure out what specific loans had been granted to our district. We compiled the total numbers, and by the end had a really clear view of the kind of federal relief we helped bring in to our district. On top of this, we were able to see what businesses had not gotten loans. This data was super important for our District Office who works directly with a lot of businesses in the community, but in addition we were able to highlight businesses that got this aid on social media. All of this work done was both beneficial for the office and real constituents.
We worked a lot to create easy, understandable content that would lead constituents to important resources. I got to create Instagram and Facebook graphics on how we could help Veterans get in contact with the VA, how to get your Child Tax Credit, and more. In addition to this, I helped write newsletters packed full with more in depth information on this, so we could contact constituents in a variety of ways- social media, email, and through the website.
I got to see one of the cooler parts of being a Congressperson: doing on air interviews. To aid all of this strategy, the Congresswoman constantly did radio and TV interviews talking about a whole variety of resources and current legislation.
We also connected with constituents through things like Tele-town halls, a super popular option for constituents who aren’t necessarily on social media. We hosted a town hall about elders getting scammed, for example, hosting experts on the topic and then answering any questions people may have on the subject. Then, we followed up with an in depth newsletter, sending further information to even more constituents.
It was really interesting seeing the seemingly endless ways that we could talk to constituents, and I loved getting to be creative and experience a whole range of communications strategies.
The goal is always to help the district. It was really amazing being able to truly connect constituents with important aid and resources, as well as talk to them on the phone and via mail and hear about the ways we can help.
It wasn’t always serious work, though. I got to create some really fun content too, like a video for frog week (see here) and write in the voice of the Congresswoman’s dogs (see here).
It was truly an all encompassing experience, and it has prepared me for my future jobs more than I could have ever hoped for. I now feel confident that I can come into a communications or digital job for a non-profit or political organization and be able to really connect with people. This was a once in a lifetime experience, and I absolutely loved my experience this summer.
