Ty Lolak’s Reflection on TANIP 2025 Experience

For the first eight weeks of summer, I had the opportunity to intern in the office of Congressman Eric Swalwell, who represents California’s 14th District in the East Bay. Interning in Congressman Swalwell’s office was my first exposure to the inner workings of the legislative branch. During my time on Capitol Hill, I learned about the various functions of a member’s office, from constituent correspondence to drafting legislation and preparing for hearings. As an intern, I was not only assisting with office operations but also encouraged to explore everything the Hill has to offer. I learned more about the dynamics of Congress in two months than I would have in a semester-long course. Everyone in Congressman Swalwell’s office possessed a passion for public service and a desire to make this country a better place, which is something that will stick with me for a long time.

What stood out to me were my conversations on the phone with constituents and with people calling from outside the district. When services like Medicaid and SNAP were threatened by budget changes in the Big Beautiful Bill, constituents from California’s 14th district and beyond frantically called, asking the Congressman to do whatever he could to stop these cuts. These calls were from real people whose names and addresses I had access to. These citizen voices helped to ground these legislative issues in reality, and truly highlighted how public policy decisions in Washington DC were upending the lives of people across the country in California. I also received a torrential wave of hostile calls attacking the Congressman and even me, the intern picking up the phone. Callers from across the country would furiously attack the Congressman and issue death threats against him and his family. This experience helped shape my perspective on the dark reality of American politics. Extreme political polarization is often discussed and quantified in polling statistics, but these calls felt more real and more threatening. 

For the last two weeks of summer, I had the opportunity to intern at the Royal Thai Embassy. Although it was a brief experience, I had the opportunity to utilize the skills I had developed on the hill to get better insight into what working in a diplomatic setting looks like. Our work in our second week focused on gathering information for Congressional trips to Thailand for members and staff. We provided itineraries of where the delegations would be going and who they would be meeting with. This work closely mirrored some of my tasks in Congressman Swalwell’s office, where I gathered itinerary details for his Congressional delegation trip to Spain and wrote bios of the people that he would be meeting with. Leveraging my knowledge and transferable skills was a satisfying experience and gave me the sense that I had actually learned and developed over the course of my internships. 

At my internship with the Thai embassy, I also helped prepare for the ASEAN Day event hosted by the Thai embassy. This event was attended by ambassadors from all 10 ASEAN countries plus Timor Leste, and showcased the power of cultural diplomacy in maintaining and strengthening diplomatic relations. The laid back yet dedicated staff culture at the embassy truly struck me. During my internship at the embassy, Thailand was going through a tumultuous time. The prime minister was suspended, there was a recent conflict with Cambodia that led to dozens of deaths and thousands displaced, and Thailand was in the midst of tariff negotiations with the United States. Still, the people working at the embassy managed to have a good time. During lunch breaks, they even played table tennis with the interns. I really enjoyed this vibrant work culture, which was quite different from what I sometimes witnessed on the Hill. 

My internships with Congressman Swalwell’s office and the Thai Embassy gave me a sense of purpose and service that I’m taking back to UVA. This fall, I’m joining two policy and politics related clubs. The first, Virginia Policy Lab, is a completely student run think tank that aims to solve policy related problems in the local Charlottesville area. I’m joining this club because I want to make a difference in my local community, rather than just learning about public policy in the classroom. The other club, Cavalier Strategies, is a political consulting club that offers campaign strategy services to politicians in Virginia. Joining this club will offer me the opportunity to make a strong impact with the Virginia gubernatorial race this fall and the midterm elections across the United States occurring next year. 

Overall, before my experience with TANIP, I still had no idea what career I wanted to pursue. My experience with TANIP didn’t necessarily decide my career, but it opened my eyes to the many options that are available in public policy and service. On the Hill, there aren’t just legislative staff in member’s offices, but legislative staff for legal committees and countless other positions. Organizations like the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office interact with Congress on a daily basis. Similarly, nearly every major company and all of the embassies have congressional affairs staff that work closely with Congress. Each offers their own benefits outside the Hill while still being deeply involved in the policy process.