Tradition
Coming to Bucknell, Kehrli originally thought she’d major in education, but she’d long had an interest in politics, too. “My family was always talking about it. Every Thanksgiving dinner there were heated discussions,” she says. “I was always watching the news.
“In my second semester of my first year, I took my first American politics class, and that really solidified my interest in politics,” Kehrli says. She took more classes in politics and government, and by the end of sophomore year, I was a total news junkie. I loved current events.”
Thanks to Bucknell’s Capitol Hill Internship Program, she spent the summer after her junior year in Washington, D.C., serving a month at the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure then another month in the office of the committee chairman, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.). Kehrli saw a major piece of legislation — the Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill — pass through the committee. “Being here in the midst of it all was an unbelievable learning opportunity. It really solidified my desire to find a job with a congressional committee,” she says, grateful for the Bucknell program that made the internship financially feasible for her.
Back on campus, Kehrli put her growing political skills to work as vice president of the Class of 2018 and chair of the public affairs committee.
Kehrli calls her current position a “dream job,” noting that she’s with “a committee that works so hard to support our men and women in uniform.
“I’m hoping to continue with a career in national security and defense policy,” she says. But for now, “I’m excited to be here learning, figuring out how Congress works.”
Tradition
Coming to Bucknell, Kehrli originally thought she’d major in education, but she’d long had an interest in politics, too. “My family was always talking about it. Every Thanksgiving dinner there were heated discussions,” she says. “I was always watching the news.
“In my second semester of my first year, I took my first American politics class, and that really solidified my interest in politics,” Kehrli says. She took more classes in politics and government, and by the end of sophomore year, I was a total news junkie. I loved current events.”
Thanks to Bucknell’s Capitol Hill Internship Program, she spent the summer after her junior year in Washington, D.C., serving a month at the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure then another month in the office of the committee chairman, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.). Kehrli saw a major piece of legislation — the Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill — pass through the committee. “Being here in the midst of it all was an unbelievable learning opportunity. It really solidified my desire to find a job with a congressional committee,” she says, grateful for the Bucknell program that made the internship financially feasible for her.
Back on campus, Kehrli put her growing political skills to work as vice president of the Class of 2018 and chair of the public affairs committee.
Kehrli calls her current position a “dream job,” noting that she’s with “a committee that works so hard to support our men and women in uniform.
“I’m hoping to continue with a career in national security and defense policy,” she says. But for now, “I’m excited to be here learning, figuring out how Congress works.”