This is the fifth installment in an occasional series of guest columns from graduating seniors about what they’ll be doing after graduation. Whether it’s video games, a job or anything in between, everyone’s got a “what’s next” story.

Photo courtesy of author.

As a political geek to the core, it is difficult to think of the last time I was not hyper-aware of current events. Where my friends could easily rattle off the latest gossip on Perez or the order of the Yankees batting lineup, I am the girl who received 11 text messages in one day asking about my response to the Sotomayor nomination.

So where did this all start? It might have been when, nearly 22 years ago, two civil servants (my parents) decided to have a kid. It also may be the product of 18 years of living in northern Virginia, just outside the concrete monstrosity that is the Washington D.C. beltway. But it most concretely started with an AP Government assignment. Every student was assigned a congressman for the “Model Congress” that was being held. I was Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), and our first assignment was to write a research paper on a topic of interest to our constituency. Since Texas has the nation’s highest sentencing rate, I chose to research the death penalty. I was completely inspired by the topic. I found a hot button issue and realized the power and importance of government. More importantly, I found a lasting interest in the legislative and judicial branches.

I continued down my path to civic engagement the summer after my junior year of high school. I decided to apply for an internship with then-Minority Whip Steny Hoyer’s office. My most vivid memory from that summer is running down the indoor steps of the Capitol with the Congressman’s overweight Springer Spaniel, Charlotte, in my arms during a fire drill, but I did learn a few things. It was that summer, while watching members of Congress share and debate their views and those of their constituents as the first congressional debate on gay marriage took place, that I knew I wanted to walk those steps again.

I was studying social policy and political science at Northwestern when I worked for the Deputy Chief Counsel to the House Committee on the Judiciary the summer after my freshman year. The job started with a daunting assignment: “You’re going to help me write a bill,” my boss, told me.

The bill was on election reform and would come to be sponsored by the committee’s ranking member, John Conyers (D-MI). The bulk of the content came from past bills proposed by Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY). In its final form, the bill was entitled “The Preservation of Democracy Act” and was co-sponsored by Senator John McCain (R- AZ).

I spent the next summer doing my SESP Practicum in California with “the Governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger, where I learned about myself and my values. I learned which labels, which issues and which government issues matter to me and which don’t.

I returned to Northwestern in the fall and received an email from a friend and Northwestern alum. He asked me if I was interested in signing onto Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. I had first heard about Obama when he was a state senator, who was leading efforts along with the Northwestern Center on Wrongful Convictions to put a referendum on the death penalty in Illinois. I have followed him since. Receiving that phone call and having the chance to help elect the same man to the highest office in our nation was a dream come true.

Six months after November 4th, it is hard to summarize something that was so all consuming. However, in vast generalities, I can give it a shot. I had the chance to meet and learn from unbelievably smart and passionate individuals. I gained skills in new media and political work that will serve me long into the future. I spent a great amount of time sleep-deprived and overly-stimulated. I felt constantly connected with something greater than myself.

I made the choice to leave Northwestern early at the beginning of April when I was told I would shortly hear about a job in the Obama administration. I was assured I had a job, received hypothetical start dates, and despite diligent efforts from a few, ended up in the funnel with probably thousands of other “Obama alums.”

I lucked out though. I started making moves on other fronts; my former boss at the Committee on the Judiciary advised me to work with the Committee’s Special Impeachment Task Force that would be investigating and considering drawing up articles of impeachment for a federal judge. I took his advice, volunteered for a week, and was hired two weeks ago. It’s early, but I love it.

I am incredibly thankful that I’ve somehow landed myself a job. But, as I sit in my living room writing to the cyber Northwestern bubble, I only have one piece of advice worth listening to: Enjoy Northwestern while it lasts, cherish every minute with your friends and get the most out of each experience. It’s cliché, but that’s because it’s true. I can look back with pride and say that my career and post-college ambitions never got in the way of my being a college student. And that fact is something I will forever value, no matter how successful (or unsuccessful) I end up being.