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I have a lot more confidence already in my knowledge. Sometimes book smarts are not everything in the real world . . . This is something I think will give me an upper hand in the future.

— Christine Bondi

From a very young age, Revere graduate Christine Bondi proudly donned a Harvard Law School sweatshirt and spoke of her aspirations to become an attorney. Now, years later, Bondi goes to the Ohio Statehouse three times a week to mail letters to Governor Kasich, meet with various senators and representatives, and attend Senate hearings all while still attending The Ohio State University.

An internship at the Ohio Statehouse has immersed Bondi in this political atmosphere and enabled her to gain political experience. She first found out about the opportunity from her college adviser who frequently sends internship information. Bondi immediately became interested in this particular internship because the internship would take place in the statehouse, so she could participate in governmental affairs, specifically lobbying. Bondi shared the skills she possesses that enabled her to obtain the position.

“I think what won my boss over in the interview were my writing skills. I had to turn in a paper that had been previously graded, so I turned in an essay about the housing bubble that I wrote for a foreign policy class. Other than that my huge passion for politics helped a lot,” Bondi said.

Bondi’s mother, Joanne Bondi, has noticed Bondi’s interest in law since her youth but accredited Bondi’s “huge passion for politics” to a class that she took in her high school year, Advanced Placement United States History. Joanne described the impact the class had on Bondi’s interests.

“She has always been a person with a passion for what she believes in. I think her first real desire for politics came from her AP US History with Mr. Fry. They discussed current and relevant events that inspired her to discuss the subjects at home. This is when I realized she was very serious about politics and enjoyed studying it,” Joanne said.

Bondi first started her internship in January, and now she works twelve hours a week while attending classes seventeen hours a week. Bondi received no formal training, which, according to Bondi, “was the scary part.” She is responsible for writing letters to different members of the Ohio legislature and also setting up an annual legislative conference in the spring. Her boss, the Director of Government Affairs, Bryan C. Williams promotes the legislative agendas of the Association of Builders and Contractors. Williams explained the significance of Bondi’s work and the annual legislative conference.

“She is helping [to] assist in putting on our annual conference, which is where we will have our membership come to Columbus…They advocate our legislative agenda on our own behalf…They will explain to legislators why the different pieces of legislation are important to them,” Williams said.

Bondi is currently a sophomore at The Ohio State University majoring in Political Science with a focus in American Politics and a Forensic science minor. Joanne identified the internship as “the best experience that she could have in her college years.” Bondi echoed this sentiment when she explained the skills she has already gained from the internship.

“I have a lot more confidence already in my knowledge. Sometimes book smarts are not everything in the real world. I often feel intimidated in class when learning about politics and sometimes feel like my classmates know a lot more than me. However, real world experience has helped me grasp concepts that I have a hard time grasping from reading from a text book. This is something I think will give me an upper hand in the future,” Bondi said.

Bondi’s internship has encouraged her to explore her career interests. She knows that she still aspires to become an attorney but is now interested in studying constitutional, patent or criminal law. She has expressed interest in even pursuing a career as a judge or becoming a representative after working as an attorney for some years.