{"id":85420,"date":"2025-12-07T21:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/85420\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T21:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:30:08","slug":"student-returns-from-congressional-internship-after-historic-federal-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/85420\/","title":{"rendered":"Student returns from congressional internship after historic federal shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long Beach State\u2019s 2025 Panetta Congressional<\/a> intern, Andre Achacon, has returned from Washington, D.C. with rare firsthand insight into federal policymaking and the impacts of the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Achacon, a third-year political science major with minors in finance and communications, was selected by President Jane Close Conoley for the Panetta Institute for Public Policy Congressional Internship Program this year. <\/p>\n

The prestigious program selects one student from each CSU campus and several private colleges, covering all costs including tuition, airfare, housing and living expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a first-generation student, opportunities like this were not imaginable,\u201d Achacon said. \u201cI never thought I would be able to secure a competitive internship working for Congress or afford to move out to Washington, D.C. for a few months.\u201d<\/p>\n

The semester-long program starts with a two-week academic orientation at the Panetta Institute, followed by 11 weeks of experiential learning as a Panetta intern in a California House member\u2019s Washington, D.C. office, along with regular seminars. <\/p>\n

After returning to California, interns complete a 20-page policy paper and a 20-page reflective journal, earning a letter grade worth 20 full-time academic units.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CSULB Vice President for Student Affairs Beth Lesen, who oversees the campus selection process, said Achacon stood out from the beginning. Four other students applied for the selection process.<\/p>\n

\u201cAndre distinguished himself as possessing impressive leadership potential very early in his time at CSULB,\u201d Lesen said. \u201cHe applied to be a student trustee in his first year on campus. Most people don\u2019t know what a trustee is, but Andre had done his homework and wanted to represent students in important ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lesen added that Achacon\u2019s success in ASI leadership only confirmed what staff already saw in him. Achacon served as the ASI vice president of finance during the 2024-25 academic year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a responsible, passionate and effective student representative,\u201d she said. \u201cIt seems clear that we can expect great things of Andre, so I\u2019m honored to have helped connect him with leadership training experiences that will contribute to his continued development.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before heading to Capitol Hill, Panetta interns complete a two-week academic orientation at Cal State Monterey Bay, where classes run from\u00a0 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day\u2013including weekends.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of the most exhausting yet transformative experiences I\u2019ve had,\u201d Achacon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With laptops prohibited, he said he finished over 70 pages of handwritten notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Achacon said a lecture on immigration policy by Bipartisan Policy Center senior advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown was among the most impactful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the son of Filipino immigrants, Achacon said the discussion resonated deeply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe demystified the entire immigration system and its flaws,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Achacon was placed in the office of Rep. Jimmy Gonzalez (CA-34), where he quickly advanced from administrative tasks to major communications responsibilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne morning I\u2019d be photographing the congressman at an event, and that afternoon I\u2019d be producing rapid-response clips,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He supported messaging on housing affordability, immigration issues and the national conversation surrounding ICE deportations.<\/p>\n

Halfway through the internship, the federal government shut down \u2013 furloughing House interns, including Achacon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWitnessing the shutdown firsthand showed just how fragile our democracy is,\u201d Achacon said. \u201cFederal employees kept working, but the pay never came. You could see the low morale everywhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Apart from the typical daily 9-to-5 work in congressional offices, the internship usually includes special tours at the CIA, FBI, Treasury and other federal agencies, Achacon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the shutdown, those tours were unfortunately canceled,\u201d Achacon said. \u201cIt was disappointing to miss out on half of our work experience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

No congressional officials were unwilling to participate in what?. The cancellations primarily affected the special programming, rather than meetings or office responsibilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many interns struggled emotionally and professionally during the shutdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were stuck at home instead of contributing to meaningful work in the Capitol,\u201d Anchacon said. \u201cFor many, it was a tough adjustment to living alone for the first time, far from family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, Achacon found a sense of community within his cohort. The shutdown also allowed Achacon more free time to expand his professional network.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI met over 35 professionals who became part of my network, many of whom have become mentors and will help me secure a job post-graduation,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I had continued with my congressional tasks as planned, I would\u2019ve only met half of those people. On the other hand, I missed out on valuable hands-on experience like writing speeches, press releases or photographing the congressman at special events.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Achacon said the experience reinforced his career goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dream is to one day lead the White House communications team,\u201d he said. \u201cThis internship reminded me that public services isn\u2019t just important:\u00a0 it\u2019s essential.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Long Beach State\u2019s 2025 Panetta Congressional intern, Andre Achacon, has returned from Washington, D.C. with rare firsthand insight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-85420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}