07/25/2025
At first, rising second-year Braeden Prunier was unsure of how he wanted to spend his summer, but after attending Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest he knew he wanted to spend the summer working in the government on Capitol Hill. “I wanted to put myself in a position where I could really just do a lot of learning.”
A typical day for Braeden, interning for the Office of U.S. Congressman Nicholas Begich (AK-01), includes giving tours of the Capitol, attending committee meetings, and sometimes even staffing the Congressman. He has also been working on a long-term research project that he got to present to Congressman Begich, his Chief of Staff, and the whole legislative team. “I was given the opportunity to do real legislative work and present it like any other staff member would, so that’s been one of the most substantive things I’ve been able to do.”
Outside of his office, Braeden’s gotten to interact with other elected officials. “Bernie Sanders was in my Senate car the other day and I’ve gotten to talk to the Speaker of the House a couple times. One of the biggest takeaways for me has been how normal a lot of these politicians that we see in the media are. I never thought I’d be joking around with a U.S. Senator, but here I am.”
“It’s easy to feel a bit fatalistic about government sometimes, and as an individual, you can feel like you don’t have a say in how things work. But, this internship has really shown me how much more you can do with government, especially if you’re passionate about politics. It’s also given me perspective on what’s important to me career-wise, doing something that’s actually impactful.”
