For most students at AU, the search for an internship is an annual rite of passage. For Jane Eidukas, a junior history major, that search took her to Nevada—or, more specifically, to the office of US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada. Though Eidukas grew up in Seattle, her mother was born and raised in Nevada, which provided a connection that enabled her to apply for an internship with Senator Masto in the heart of the nation’s capital. She just spent the Spring 2026 semester working as a press intern in the Hart Senate Office Building.

As a press intern, Eidukas worked three days per week, carrying out a variety of tasks such as answering the phones, speaking with constituents, and compiling press clippings about the senator and issues related to Nevada. “It’s really interesting to answer the phones and talk to constituents,” she says. “You have to listen carefully in order to figure out what sort of issues they care about. If they talk a lot about Lake Tahoe and a related bill, it’s my job to communicate that concern along to the senator.” Eidukas also helped organize the logistics for a weekly event known as “Battle Born Breakfast,” in which the two senators from Nevada gather for discussions and meetings with constituents.

Brushing shoulders with senators, staff, and constituents in the halls of the Hart Senate Office Building can be a heady experience. “When I was in high school I took AP government classes,” Eidukas says, “and now I get to be here and see it happen in person. It’s very cool and doesn’t quite feel real.” Eidukas credits many of the history courses she has taken at AU with helping her to develop the sort of skills necessary to carry out her responsibilities as a press intern. “Having to read lots of texts and understand the key parts is really helpful for handling press,” she says. “I learned in my history classes that you need to get to the main point quickly or else you’ll get bogged down.” 

In particular, Eidukas pointed to her experience in AMST 345: American Indian Law and Legacies (which is cross-listed with the History Department) as uniquely well suited to preparing her for this specific internship—in part because Senator Masto is a member of the Indian Affairs Committee. “Many of the same issues I learned about in that class are very important in Nevada,” she says. “I think that played a key part in how I got my internship.”