My internship with California State Assemblyman David Hadley has catalyzed an important inner-dialogue regarding the hierarchy of my ideals. As an intern, part of my job is to respond to letters about legislation that the office receives from constituents. I generally skim the letters and research relevant information for five minutes before I start writing as the Assemblyman. Every letter begins, “Dear Mr. XX” and ends “Sincerely, Your Assemblyman.” In between those two bookends, I write what seems like overly vague statements from David Hadley’s perspective, creating the illusion that he wrote the response instead of I, an eighteen-year-old high school student. I am not critiquing David Hadley; this letter writing process is, of course,
