History Major Interns in Chris Murphy’s Office

Ciara Smith connected constituents to resources and helped them get answers to questions

During the busy 2024 political season, Sacred Heart University history major Ciara Smith ’24 spent the summer interning at U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy’s Hartford office.

After several rounds of interviews, Smith beat out a pool of approximately 210 candidates to become one of Murphy’s eight summer interns. “I think I’m the first person from Sacred Heart to intern for his office,” she said. She is also the first person from Stratford to complete one of his internships.

The daily commute to the state’s capital wasn’t short. Smith took two trains into Hartford, leaving at 7 a.m. and arriving back home 13 hours later. “If I landed this internship, I was going to get there no matter what,” she said.

Smith spent her time in Murphy’s office answering phone calls and emails and helping connect constituents with a case worker or other resources to help resolve problems. “I felt like I was doing work that really mattered,” she said.

The tasks varied but all focused on addressing people’s needs and concerns. She spent time at a center helping veterans organize their paperwork to submit to various agencies and departments. When air conditioning went out during the summer’s heat wave, Smith helped people find much-needed relief from the dangerous temperatures.

She and the other interns answered questions regarding forms, paperwork and processes. “One of the best phone calls I received was on an immigration case. A man called to tell us his wife’s visa was finally approved, and he thanked us for helping,” she said.

The best part of the internship—helping people through trying times—was also the most challenging, she said. “It’s definitely rough hearing about someone having a difficult time, especially if all we could do was refer them to their local or state government because it wasn’t a federal issue.”

Internships with politicians are not for political science majors alone. Smith interned alongside economics, public health and political science majors. She left the summer experience with increased confidence and a network of resources.

“Ciara Smith is one of the most driven and hard-working students I’ve come across at SHU,” said Kelly Marino, advanced lecturer in Sacred Heart’s history department. “In her conversations with me, she emphasized how much she took away from her summer internship. Not only did she get to interact with professionals in the field, but she also formed valuable connections with other interns.

“The experience was both personally and professionally rewarding,” Marino added. “It provided her insight into how politics operate day-to-day and helped her develop communication skills that she can use to further her career goals.”

Working in Murphy’s office also taught Smith the importance of reaching out to one’s government representatives. She encourages people to call their local, state and federal representatives to be heard when an issue arises. “If we got 30 calls about housing in a day, the whole office started talking about housing, and that would make it back to the senator,” she said. The people at the other end of the phone “do care,” she added.