Chloe Anduiza, ’22, is used to being a policy translator for her family and friends. She’s been making a SparkNotes version of news headlines for them ever since she became interested in politics.

Anduiza now applies that skill to a much larger audience. On Capitol Hill, she serves as a staff assistant and legislative correspondent for a member of the House of Representatives. She reviews mail from constituents and drafts responses, typically covering a variety of issues and concerns. She takes the complex inner workings of Congress and turns them into a digestible format for the public.

“You have to educate yourself on each issue area so that you can write an informed response,” she said. “It’s important to ask, ‘Could someone who knows nothing about this issue understand this bill?’”

Anduiza understands there’s a disconnect between what happens in Congress and what the public sees. While interning at the Virginia General Assembly, she watched live committee hearings and witnessed significant decisions being made with less discussion than she had expected. Because of her current position, Anduiza now knows some bills that seem to move quickly can take years of work and conversations that the public doesn’t see. This is what drives Anduiza to connect people to their legislation.

These exchanges with constituents keep her grounded. During busy days on Capitol Hill, Anduiza doesn’t want to forget the satisfaction of helping people stay informed. It’s what encouraged her to pursue a career in politics, and it reminds her of why she wants to stay.

“I like being able to convey the importance to [the public] and fill them in because people take in information differently,” she said. “I have my opinions, but that’s not what you need to know. You need to know the basic facts and what’s going on.”