A capital internship on Capitol Hill
Jordan Ford listened raptly as constituents, executives, and congressional representatives discussed how artificial intelligence can be used both to prevent and to perpetrate financial scams. The senior from Miami had a front-row seat to this congressional briefing, thanks to her summer internship with Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), a member of the House Committee on Financial Services.
“I’ve always been interested in law, criminal justice, and social action,” said Ford, a leadership studies major and education and society minor. “I wanted to learn more about the political system, how members of Congress legislate, and how I can contribute to change.”
Ford, the 2023-24 president of the University of Richmond chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, one of the “Divine Nine” Greek organizations for African-Americans, shares her sorority’s commitment to social action. When looking for a placement for her credit-bearing Jepson School of Leadership Studies internship, she turned to her sorority’s Delta Research and Educational Foundation, which promotes research on issues affecting African-American women.
The foundation connected her to a nine-week internship with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which in turn placed her in the office of Congresswoman Beatty, who coincidentally is also a Delta Sigma Theta sister. The Jepson School awarded Ford a Burrus Fellowship to support her internship.
“I answered constituent calls, which included everything from scheduling White House tours to passing along messages on issues to Congresswoman Beatty,” the senior said. “When she needed co-sponsors on bills, I handed out fliers to other representatives. I also provided PR assistance and helped organize her Instagram and X pages. Working in her office gave me a greater understanding of legislative and policy work as well as media and communications work.”
The congresswoman’s passion for promoting more diversity in upper-level management in financial services, the law, and other professions resonated with Ford. She said she also shared Beatty’s enthusiasm for supporting voting rights and getting out the vote.
In addition to providing insights on policymaking, the internship offered professional development opportunities. Every Friday, the 67 Congressional Black Caucus interns attended personal development sessions on topics such as bill writing, resume writing, interviewing, financial literacy, and more.
The Spider undergraduate said she hopes to apply what she learned in her internship to a future career in education law. Meanwhile, she has work to do. She plans to assist with Delta Days at the Nation’s Capital, a spring event that brings Deltas to Washington, D.C., to advocate for social action and political rights. But first, Ford said she and her Delta sisters will focus on getting out the vote this fall.
“It is important for young people to vote if we want to have a say in what happens in this country.”