Office Intern

State Representative Barbara Hernandez aids her constituents by writing legislation, meeting their concerns, and organizing events. As her intern, I focus on helping to research legislation, resolving the issues of her constituents, and managing her social media. One of my main responsibilities is to answer phone calls, emails, and letters. Most of these express an issue that the constituent faces, which I then work to resolve by contacting agencies and providing them with the resources they need. I also spent a large portion of my time answering letters from incarcerated individuals, especially regarding Representative Hernandez's HB5219. This specific bill altered truth-in-sentencing laws, eliminating mandatory minimums and allowing for those incarcerated to be released earlier if they had enough credits. Another of my responsibilities was to create social media graphics, captions, and posts for the Representative's Facebook and Instagram pages. I also had the opportunity to attend a few events with her, one of the most interesting discussing the health of minorities in Aurora. My work helped increase her outreach, resolve the issues of her constituents, and develop possible legislation. The experience was impactful to my understanding of the issues that Illinois faces and how the legislative branch resolves them.