{"id":43886,"date":"2022-07-03T10:50:12","date_gmt":"2022-07-03T14:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=43886"},"modified":"2022-07-12T07:47:46","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T11:47:46","slug":"view-from-the-hill-nicki-messers-path-took-her-from-utc-to-d-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2022\/07\/view-from-the-hill-nicki-messers-path-took-her-from-utc-to-d-c\/","title":{"rendered":"View from The Hill: Nicki Messer\u2019s path took her from UTC to D.C."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"December

December 2021 graduate Nicki Messer, now a staff assistant to Rep. Jim Cooper in Washington, D.C., in front of the White House. Photo courtesy of Nicki Messer.<\/p><\/div>\n

Not long after her Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature team won \u201cBest Overall Delegation\u201d accolades last November, Nicki Messer\u2014at the time just a couple of weeks away from graduating from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2014was asked about her future plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinking of moving to D.C. and trying to get the process going for applying to internships in Congress,\u201d Messer said, \u201cand I really want to work in a member\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little did she know how prophetic those words would be.<\/p>\n

Messer, who received a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science in December 2021, now finds herself on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

After serving as an intern for U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), Messer joined the congressman\u2019s staff full-time in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was anxious to get out of Tennessee and experience something new,\u201d she said. \u201cAfter a few months of being an intern, they offered me a job as a staff assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n

She explained that the staff assistant is an entry-level position most people get when they want to work on Capitol Hill. Her duties include writing, answering phones, sorting through letters the congressman receives and overseeing the Washington-based interns.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of my job is also giving tours when possible. That\u2019s always fun,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The physical location of where she works is in one of the House of Representatives office buildings near the U.S. Capitol. Washington is a walkable city, Messer said, and she walks to work every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best part about working at the Capitol is the Capitol,\u201d she said, \u201cbut it\u2019s just really cool to hear things. You hear about a development or a story and consistently follow it. You hear bits and pieces from other people about what may or may not happen, so in some ways it\u2019s like you\u2019re a step ahead of what everybody else knows.\u201d<\/p>\n

She admitted the novelty can wear off, \u201cbut there is this feeling of satisfaction when something finally does get done. Sometimes, you can be pleasantly surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nicki

Nicki Messer (vice president) and Miles Mosby (president) helped guide the UTC Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature team to “Best Overall Delegation” honors last fall. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018Nothing could really prep me for this job\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

During her UTC days, Messer participated in three mock government competitions at the annual Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature. Also known by the acronym TISL, the gatherings bring together college students from across the state.<\/p>\n

As a senator and vice president of last fall\u2019s UTC delegation<\/a>, Messer was responsible for presenting nine bills on varying issues and complexity. She succeeded in getting eight of the bills passed, earning a coveted Carlisle Award\u2014which honors exceptional student legislators.<\/p>\n

Messer\u2019s pre-D.C. background also included serving as a bill clerk for the Tennessee General Assembly from January-July 2021.<\/p>\n

But those experiences barely scratched the surface in preparing her for life on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of been a whirlwind because The Hill is a lot more fast-paced than I am used to,\u201d Messer said. \u201cHonestly, nothing could really prep me for this job. It\u2019s challenging but in a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the best preparation came from a most unlikely source.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest thing about going to school during the pandemic was that it taught me how to be flexible; that was my biggest prep,\u201d she said. \u201cI have had to learn that because sometimes your entire day can change on a dime based on what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith my job, if I get a certain kind of phone call from a constituent or my boss needs me to do something, that can upend my whole day; I have to reorient myself to that specific goal. Since I\u2019m in the front of the office, people can walk in\u2014and there\u2019s always a lot of noise because everyone has a TV on for the news. It\u2019s always kind of buzzing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the frenetic pace, \u201cprobably the weirdest thing on The Hill is that everything is in a rush,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople move very fast, but things always start 10 minutes after they say they\u2019re going to start.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Take as many professional writing classes as possible\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

After six months on Capitol Hill, Messer has the following advice for college students who aspire to follow her path.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearn how to write well. That is the biggest one, by far,\u201d Messer said. \u201cMy writing was considered pretty OK by college standards, but writing in a workplace, especially on The Hill\u2014where it\u2019s really easy to get bogged down by technocratic details\u2014you can\u2019t write the same way an academic would. Definitely take as many professional writing classes as possible and get comfortable writing memos.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stressed that learning to understand developments in technology and science is beneficial. Statistics, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, get comfortable with public speaking and learning how to talk to powerful people,\u201d she said. \u201cThe way you carry yourself in public and in your writing can open a lot of doors for you.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t know how to speak or how to write, that\u2019s going to close doors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nicki

Nicki Messer, shown at a League of Women Voters of Chattanooga event in September 2021, advocated for automatic voter registration in the bill she wrote and presented during the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature competition.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018This is going to be my first big adult challenge\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Messer is spending her first extended July 4 weekend in Washington, and the nation\u2019s capital is an interesting place to be these days for many reasons.<\/p>\n

For Messer, it\u2019s even more interesting because Cooper\u2014a 32-year veteran of Congress\u2014has announced his retirement, effective January 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe announced it before I started the position, but I was just thrilled not only to have a job but to work for him, specifically,\u201d Messer said. \u201cI grew up in the Nashville area in Mount Juliet, so I was relatively close to his district, and I was fortunate to get into an office that was close-knit and cared about each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m lucky to have a few months\u2019 notice, but it is something that\u2019s kind of there. You just have to be flexible and keep your options open.\u201d<\/p>\n

When members of Congress retire, their staff are displaced. Messer said people retiring at mid-terms isn\u2019t unusual, so she\u2019s balancing learning on the job while keenly aware of having to find a different position in a few months.<\/p>\n

Networking and relationship building are essential components.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe responsibility is on me to take that next step,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have to have that mindset of being the one that goes out, networks with people and creates these relationships because it\u2019s not going to fall into your lap.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is going to be my first big adult challenge, but it was going to come sooner or later.\u201d<\/p>\n

If all goes as planned, Messer will land another plum role in Washington and take the next steps in her career journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only been working on The Hill for a few months, and from what I\u2019ve heard, it takes several months\u2014if not a year\u2014to wrap your head around how the institution works,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to read your textbook about Congress. It\u2019s another thing to work here, to understand how things get done, the dos and don\u2019ts\u2014but also just figuring out who the leaders of tomorrow are going to be and understanding what your future is going to look like.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nicki Messer, who received a bachelor’s degree in political science from UTC in December 2021, is now a congressional staff assistant in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":43888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123864,61],"tags":[48221,119122,119506,119120],"class_list":{"0":"post-43886","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-advancement-and-alumni","8":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","9":"tag-department-of-political-science-and-public-service","10":"tag-nicki-messer","11":"tag-rep-jim-cooper","12":"tag-tisl","13":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nView from The Hill: Nicki Messer\u2019s path took her from UTC to D.C. | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nicki Messer, who received a bachelor's degree in political science from UTC in December 2021, is now a congressional staff assistant in Washington, D.C.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"View from The Hill: Nicki Messer\u2019s path took her from UTC to D.C. | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nicki Messer, who received a bachelor's degree in political science from UTC in December 2021, is now a congressional staff assistant in Washington, D.C.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2022\/07\/view-from-the-hill-nicki-messers-path-took-her-from-utc-to-d-c\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-07-03T14:50:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-07-12T11:47:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2022\/06\/imagejpeg_0002.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chuck Wasserstrom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chuck Wasserstrom\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/view-from-the-hill-nicki-messers-path-took-her-from-utc-to-d-c\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/view-from-the-hill-nicki-messers-path-took-her-from-utc-to-d-c\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba12ddef664be78c31809fda10eae4e5\"},\"headline\":\"View from The Hill: Nicki Messer\u2019s path took her from UTC to D.C.\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-07-03T14:50:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-12T11:47:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/view-from-the-hill-nicki-messers-path-took-her-from-utc-to-d-c\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1321,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/07\\\/view-from-the-hill-nicki-messers-path-took-her-from-utc-to-d-c\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/imagejpeg_0002.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Department of Political Science and Public Service\",\"Nicki Messer\",\"Rep. 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