Capitol Hill internship provides King with political insights

Capitol Hill has become a natural extension of Cornell’s own Hilltop for Cory King ’07 and a number of others, thanks to the Cornell Fellows Program and other opportunities. King says his two-block stint in Iowa Senator Tom Harkin’s office inspired him to defer law school for additional real-world experiences.

King completed a summer 2007 internship at Barclays Bank in London after graduation, then several months with State Farm Insurance near his hometown of East Grand Forks, Minn. He’s now planning a move to California to pursue work in finance, marketing, or politics before applying to law school.

“Throughout my fellowship, I was able to realize just how capable, confident, and responsible I am,” says King, who is also serving as a Young Trustee on Cornell’s Board of Trustees.

King says he also gained an appreciation for the political process while in D.C., as well as the team-oriented nature of the job.

“It takes a lot of committee meetings, amendments, bargaining, and conversations between the senators and their staffs before anything ever gets accomplished,” he says. “Through this, I realized just how important the senate staffs are. The senators are incredibly dependent on them and their individual success can be directly attributed to the hard work of a lot of different individuals.”

King’s role included performing research related to Indian Affairs legislation and reporting back on conferences focused on the role of religion in politics. He also spent a great deal of time on more routine but essential tasks, such as opening, sorting, and sometimes responding to the many constituent letters received by Harkin’s office.

“Prior to the internship I dreaded the thought of having to do such work, but what I realized was that reading all the mail and faxes really gives you an idea of what the people of Iowa care about,” he says.