U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, left, and Claflin University student Ms. Kristen Mason, right, are shown in the Congressman’s Washington office, where Ms. Mason is working this semester as an intern.

Claflin University junior Kristen Mason has had a busy schedule since beginning her semester. But her school work this time doesn't involve writing papers and taking tests. That is because Ms. Mason is working on the Hill interning for U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, who represents the Sixth Congressional District of South Carolina.

Shortly after her arrival, Ms. Mason caught an elevator inside the Capitol and found herself rubbing elbows with Florida Rep. Corrine Brown. The two struck up a nice conversation on Ms. Mason's trajectory in life.

“She was sharing different perspectives on her life and gave really great advice,” Ms. Mason said of her impromptu meeting with Rep. Brown.

Rep. Brown advised her to stay polite, maintain the contacts she makes while on the Hill and maximize this experience.

Nowadays, meeting different representatives and senators has become a daily occurrence during the course of her day, she said.

Ms. Mason, a human performance and recreation major who is in the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College, awakes every morning at 6:45 a.m. in the downtown Washington apartment that she shares with another intern. Once ready for work, she has a short walk along the historic avenue which takes her past the Senate Office Buildings. Then comes the security checks which she says are “always a hassle in the morning.”

Most of her day is devoted to the considerable process of addressing the concerns of Rep. Clyburn's more than 650,000 constituents falls partly on her lap. This consists of opening mail, reviewing faxes and answering the phone lines, which are constantly ringing. On other days, she spends much of her time researching various constituent issues like health care and jobs.

While a lot is expected of Ms. Mason, it is an experience she says she would not trade for anything.

“It has been amazing,” she said.

This week, her responsibilities in Rep. Clyburn's office are about to increase. She is set to receive training on the highly sophisticated office computer system and learn how to give tours of the Capitol; the latter is an activity she is very excited about.

She credits Claflin First Lady Alice Carson Tisdale and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. George Miller for this opportunity to work on the Hill. A native of Bowie, Maryland, which is on the outskirts of the nation's capital, she said the University has positively challenged her to step out of her comfort zone.

“It is not just the institution but the whole environment,” Ms. Mason said. “The professors and the leadership really care about the students. That's the difference between Claflin and other institutions.”

Ms. Mason said that Mrs. Tisdale and Dr. Miller call her frequently to ask how things are going.

When she spoke with them last week, she undoubtedly told them about her experience in the Capitol Building during President Barack Obama's first State of the Union Address.

She marveled as the motorcade pulled up to the Capitol and the 44^th president breezed by amid a sea of flashing cameras. From inside an adjoining room with other interns, Ms. Mason could hear the applause erupting nearby.

“It is something I will never forget,” she said. “You could feel the excitement.”

This wasn't the first important speech she has heard since arriving on the Hill.

During her first day in Washington she heard former President Bill Clinton speak on health care reform and efforts to relieve victims of the Haitian earthquake.

Right now, she said health care is the hottest topic in Rep. Clyburn's office. It is also a personal issue for Ms. Mason because her mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She said a large percentage of the family income is going toward her mother's treatment.

“I know firsthand how financially devastating it can be when someone gets sick,” she said. “Health care reform is a big deal.”

Because Rep. Clyburn - like other members of Congress - is busy, she rarely has the opportunity to converse with him. However, Ms. Mason relishes those encounters. She said Rep. Clyburn is always friendly and takes a vested interest in his interns.

“He is really nice,” she said.

The important lesson Ms. Mason has learned from her time so far on the Hill is the ability to form opinions of issues based on fact and merit. Inspired by her intern experience, Ms. Mason said she now plans to pursue a career in politics.