The Ultimate Guide to Nailing Your Internship
Issue 135, featuring an interview with Ellie Fischer
Welcome to The Girl’s Guide! I’m glad you’re here! Every other Friday, I interview an interesting woman, share a little something about whatever topic pops into my head, and break down the latest news at the intersection of pop culture and politics. Thanks for reading!
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Interview with Ellie Fischer
Today’s interview is with Ellie Fischer (soon to be Churchill!), my fellow Patrick Henry College graduate. You can congratulate Ellie on her recent engagement and check out her amazing travel photos by following her on Instagram.
What does your life look like right now?
I work full-time for Shaun (former NFL player) and Valerie Alexander as their Director of Operations. Shaun is in the process of developing a homeschool co-op with an elite sports program called Harvest Covenant in northern Virginia. Valerie is diving into publishing her writings and the story of what raising 13 children is like. You can find them on Instagram @alexanderfamily37 if you want to follow along — we’ve got some exciting projects coming out this year!
My free time right now is often spent planning my wedding happening at the end of July or catching up with a friend. Up until a few years ago, I led an extremely busy lifestyle where it felt that every minute was booked out. The past year and half, I have been very intentional to slow down and enjoy the quiet evenings. My health and stress level has dramatically improved and I find when people ask me how am I doing, my answer is no longer “good but busy,” but rather “good and life is full.”
I spend a lot of my time plugged in with my local church Lovettsville Baptist in Loudoun County, Va. Often on Sunday mornings you can find me pulling in the trailer for set-up, playing the box drum, or doing the projector in the back. We started almost four years ago now and it has been such a blessing to be part of a church family from the very beginning. I’ve found that when reviewing my priorities, I try to make church activities and church people always at the top of the list before anyone or anything else. It is such a joy to be a part of a healthy, growing church, and I look forward to Sundays every week.
What are some of your favorite places you've traveled recently?
I love to travel! If you want to go somewhere no matter how last minute, I am always down! Last summer, I traveled all over Europe. Many times on the trip, I would land in a country and figure out where I was sleeping and how I was getting to my next destination after arriving. Fun but definitely wearing sometimes. My favorite places out of that long trip were definitely Switzerland (Interlaken to be specific), Vienna (it’s just a magnificent city), and Slovenia (a hidden gem in Europe with the beauty of Austria and even has some Alps, but it’s not super touristy).
One of my favorite things to do once arriving in a new city/place is to get out and walk. Often I have been traveling and sitting for a while and may not have a ton of time in that place, so I'll freshen up, and then begin walking the city. Doing this allows me to cement a place in my head, help me get my bearings, and allow me to take note of the things I want to return and look at when I have more time. If you don’t have a ton of time to walk then try cycling or doing a hop-on-hop-off bus. There is just something different about not being in a car that forces you to pay attention to things you would have otherwise missed.
What's the best book you've read in the last year?
Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir by Carolyn Weber. Just a delightful book that takes you through her life. She went to Oxford as a strong atheist, but during her time there and through studying literature, God made himself known to her. She’s a wonderful writer who keeps you captivated from the start and wrestles with questions we face in all walks of life. It sometimes felt as though I were reading a modern day mixture of Little Women and Anne of Green Gables. I also highly recommend the sequel Sex and the City of God: A Memoir of Love and Longing, as it finishes out the story of her love life.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned in your career?
You won’t be able to make it anywhere in life if you don’t know what your values are. I spent so long trying to think of the job I wanted and the path to get there, but when I started heading that route I realized it wasn’t what I actually cared about. Through a lot of thinking and praying, I realized I needed to instead figure out what my values were and what lifestyle I wanted, then find a job that helped me live that out. My top five values were: 1. Time with God in the mornings; 2. Time for my family and friends; 3. Time to serve in my church; 4. Time to make healthy meals and workout and sleep; 5. Time to be hospitable and open my home. Once I realized that, I made a drastic career shift and left working in DC for a lifestyle that I immensely love because I know I’m living out what I value and I found a job I really enjoy! Jobs aren’t eternal but people are, so whatever you are doing, make sure you are allowing time for the people that matter most to you.
Do you have any favorite health products?
I’ve learned so much about a woman’s cycle and body and how to help care for it better. Some of my favorite things I do regularly to help myself out are taking a probiotic from JustThrive. I’ve tried a lot of different brands but this one really works and helps your gut. I’ll drink cranberry juice when I’m feeling off during a cycle and weekly, I put lemon in my water and drink dandelion tea to help make sure my liver is detoxing well.
The Ultimate Guide to Nailing Your Internship
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re either an intern in DC or you have experience as an intern in DC. And if you’re some secret third thing — well, I’m still glad you’re here. Today’s Girl’s Guide is chock full of links to help current interns make the most of the summer. If your intern days are behind you, please share this guide with the college students in your life!
The Girl’s Guide Top Internship Posts
I try to share helpful tips for interns at least once a year, so here’s a compilation of my advice AND reader advice featured in The Girl’s Guide!
Intern Season: You’re already working your butt off at your internship. Here are the questions should you be asking yourself about your experience to help you guide your future. Click here to read.
Interning in Style: Figuring out what to wear as an intern can be just as hard as securing the internship. Click here to read.
Intern-ally Screaming: Friend of the ‘stack Mary Margaret Olohan shares her tips for interns (as a White House correspondent, she knows what she’s talking about). Click here to read.
Networking Isn't Like 'Succession': If you consider “networking” a dirty word, please allow me to change your mind! Click here to read the full story on Evie Magazine’s website.
Your Embarrassing Intern Stories: These reader-submitted stories are CRAZY. Click here to read.
Network of Enlightened Women
When I was new to DC, I got a lot out of the events put on by the Network of Enlightened Women (NeW) for young professional women! They have chapters at colleges across the U.S. as well a presence in DC. They also have lots of helpful videos on topics like social media and job interviews that you can access from anywhere! Find NeW on Instagram to keep up with all they do.
Internship Success: How to Manage Up and Make a Lasting Impression: Alexis Flowers breaks down how to become your office’s favorite intern ever.
How Can I Turn my Senior Year Internship into a Job?: This blog post answers a question we’ve all asked ourselves. Click here to read.
Fall/Spring Capitol Hill Internship Summits: If you’re able to get to DC this fall, be sure to attend the NeW internship summit. More details will become available soon at this link.
917 Strategies
Sarah Selip, the woman behind boutique PR firm 917 Strategies, only provides real talk about making it as a professional woman on her company’s blog. If you’re at all interested in public relations, media relations, communications, and/or branding — be sure to follow Sarah on X by clicking here.
On Female Mentorship: The Girls Who Get It, Get It: “When you find your people, the right mentor for you will follow suit,” Sarah writes. Click here to read.
The Group Chat is Sacred. Chaotic. Essential: The group chat is the professional version of the high school lunch table. Make the most of it. Click here to read.
I’m Obsessed With Productivity. Here’s What I’ve Learned Over the Years: Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference! Click here to read.
American Moment
I would be remiss if I did not plug the nonprofit my husband co-founded, American Moment, for its resources for interns. If you are interning on Capitol Hill, check out AMFridays, American Moment’s weekly seminar where junior staff can hear from top-notch speakers (and eat a free, delicious Chick-Fil-A lunch). Learn more about attending AMFridays by clicking here.
That’s it for now! Have an additional intern resource you think I should feature in a The Girl’s Guide? Send it to me via the button below!
Bulletin Board
Independent Women Features is highlighting a new woman for its Champion Women series every month. If you know a woman who you think should be highlighted, please share her name and a brief description about her background here. You can read the Champion Women profile of deputy assistant to President Trump May Mailman here.
Please join Hillsdale in DC for a lecture from Clare Morell, author of the new book The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, on Monday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. Find more details about the event here.
If you’re a freelance writer, or interested in becoming one, I’ll be speaking on a virtual panel on that topic hosted by the World Journalism Institute on Tuesday, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET. For more details, you can either reply to this email or send me a message using the button below.
The Haps
The Benedict Option for Kids and Tech
I just published my review of new book The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones by
in The American Conservative. Read my review here. It’s a convicting read because I know just how addicted I am to my iPhone and how social media has changed my brain (if you’re wondering what I mean, my friend Patricia Patnode nails it in this essay). How am I supposed to avoid passing my screen addiction along to my kids? Fortunately, Morell doesn’t just give parents a list of “thou shalt nots” — she shows how parents can band together to create screen-free communities for their kids so that they can flourish. Morell also joined my husband Nick’s podcast Moment of Truth. You can listen to the audio-only version by clicking here or check out the full video interview below.Here are more links to what I’m reading lately:
Little Dates Club (Theology of Home): Patricia Patnode profiles two Catholic DC moms who are helping take the stress out of dating for local twenty-somethings. Click here to read in
.PCA leader’s “scandalizers” list triggers ethics probe, fraternal rift (WORLD): A little sticky note caused a big problem, Zoe Miller writes.
Why Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning Should Have Killed Off Ethan Hunt (The Federalist): Jacqueline Annis-Levings takes a contrarian position in her latest film review!
How Abortion Lost Its Cool (First Things): “Younger women might be less ideological in their pro-choice voting than are their Boomer elders,” Carmel Richardson writes.
Ask Evie
Have a question you want me to answer in the newsletter? Click this link to send your question anonymously! You can read my most recent Ask Evie column, about friendships and political differences, by clicking here.
