AUBG student Igor Letina completed an internship in the House of Representatives in the United States from January to May 2008.  Igor, a student from Bosnia and Herzegovina, worked at the office of Congressman Joseph Crowley, who represents the people of the 7th District of New York - parts of Queens and Bronx.

Igor’s duties in the office were constantly changing. As he got more experienced, more responsibilities were being entrusted to him. When he started, Igor only got to do simple office work – opening the mail, answering phone calls, buying supplies, and giving Capitol tours once or twice a week. Later on, substantial tasks such as going to briefings and hearings, writing reports, and doing background research were assigned to him.

“Eventually, I got the opportunity to get more directly involved in the legislative process,” Igor said. “I wrote the first draft of a speech that Congressman Crowley delivered on the House floor in support of PEPFARand I wrote the first draft of a resolution condemning Hamas for the use of children’s television to incite violence, hatred, and anti-Semitism among Palestinian children. I am currently trying to build support for that resolution and to get it passed,” he added.

AUBG junior Igor Letina applied for the internship through Humanity in Action, an organization which seeks to promote and protect human and minority rights. As a senior fellow of that organization, Igor had access to a number of internship opportunities, including the Lantos/Humanity in Action Capitol Hill Fellowship Program. This is a Congressional fellowship program, developed and administered under the auspices of the late Tom Lantos, former Foreign Affairs chairman, and his wife Annette. Tom Lantos was born in Hungary and the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress.

Igor truly appreciates the experience he obtained during the internship. “I saw first-hand how policy is being constructed, and I also saw how a congressional office functions, how they respond to pressures from constituents, interest groups, and party leaders,” Igor said. “However, because I am part of this broader Lantos/ Humanity in Action program, I got to meet representatives of other parts of society such as think-tanks, advocacy groups, and activist groups. So I also had a chance to see how the broader American society functions.”

Igor enjoyed the time he spent with colleagues and coworkers during office hours. After work he would get together with other Lantos fellows and go to the receptions given by various companies. He lived with three other Lantos fellows of diverse backgrounds. They created a colorful international mix and they just “got along great.”