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Ava Bellaver ’27 Builds Professional Skills on Capitol Hill

political science and business student builds writing, networking, and public speaking skills during Her congressional internship

Music educators participating in Anderson University Graduate Summer Studies in Music Education

ANDERSON, Ind. — This summer, Anderson University student Ava Bellaver ‘27 served as a congressional intern in Rep. Victoria Spartz’s R-Ind. Washington, D.C., office.

Double majoring in political science and business, Bellaver said: “Every single day was different.”

Though she spent a lot of time writing, the day’s tasks varied depending on whether Congress was in or out of session.

On days when Congress was in session, lobbyists met with legislative aides and directors in the office, and Bellaver would take meeting notes. She also filed co-sponsor requests and funding requests and attended hearings to take notes on topics relevant to Spartz’s work.

While collaborating with other interns to write and edit some records, she completed others herself and sent them directly to Spartz’s chief of staff.

Bellaver also had the privilege of writing Corporal Blake Reynolds’ congressional biography for a proposed bill to rename a Muncie Post Office in his honor. Reynolds is the late husband of Allison Eddleman Reynolds, chair of the Falls School of Business and assistant professor of management at AU.

Writing his biography was especially meaningful because Eddleman is near and dear to so many on campus, Bellaver said.

Bellaver also enjoyed giving tours of the Capitol building for Indiana’s 5th District residents. Having never been to Washington, D.C., before, she went from seeing the Capitol for the first time to giving tours within a few days.

“It’s such a beautiful building with so much history, and it’s also really fun to connect with people and see what they find interesting,” Bellaver said.

Bellaver said she grew significantly in her overall professionalism, especially in navigating the rules of political circles. She also continued to develop her writing skills.

“Public speaking and networking were definitely areas I grew in because of the amount of interaction I had with different officials and people every day,” Bellaver said. “Overall, I learned a lot about government and how House politics work.”

Ava Bellaver

political science and buisness student

“Public speaking and networking were definitely areas I grew in because of the amount of interaction I had with different officials and people every day,” Bellaver said. “Overall, I learned a lot about government and how House politics work.”

Bellaver’s path to Washington began the previous summer when her advisor, Michael Frank, connected her with an internship opportunity in the 5th District’s Indiana office.

While working in the district office, Bellaver developed close relationships with mentors and took on a significant writing role.

In addition to the ten different congressional records she wrote that summer, Bellaver also helped craft some of Spartz’s speeches.

After that experience, the team she worked with encouraged her to go to D.C. the next summer. “They asked me to go out there, so I took the leap,” Bellaver said.

Her experiences at AU also helped prepare her for the internship.

“I felt like I had the knowledge to be able to go out there and understand everything that was happening,” Bellaver said. “All of the writing that I do in my major helped a lot because I had to write in an active voice and a lot at once, while also gaining information.”

“I felt like I had the knowledge to be able to go out there and understand everything that was happening. All of the writing that I do in my major helped a lot because I had to write in an active voice and a lot at once, while also gaining information.”

Ava Bellaver

“I felt like I had the knowledge to be able to go out there and understand everything that was happening,” Bellaver said. “All of the writing that I do in my major helped a lot because I had to write in an active voice and a lot at once, while also gaining information.”

Bellaver said a previous research class, which was writing-heavy, trained her to produce the quality and quantity of writing expected in the role.

Additionally, activities like Model Diplomacy gave her public speaking experience and prepared her for the types of conversations she had this summer.

Bellaver was also grateful to be selected as one of this summer’s Center for Public Service fellows, a program dedicated to creating new opportunities for Anderson students.

“It was really cool to know that I had the support not only of the people and professors, but of the university as a whole,” Bellaver said.

Bellaver is currently applying to law schools. After passing the bar exam and becoming an attorney, Bellaver aims to become a judge.