Co-Curriculum Quick Takes: Elle Ruggiero '26

January 29th 2025

Elle and Representative Andrea Salinas

More than 100 years after the founding of The Madeira School, we continue to prepare students to “launch” as well-rounded, creative, and prepared citizens through Madeira’s unique Co-Curriculum internship experience. Madeira is the only school in the nation that provides 100% of our students with three amazing five-week internships prior to high school graduation. Today we’re going to hear from one of the juniors in the Class of 2026, Elle Ruggiero.

Madeira: Please briefly introduce yourself.

I am Elle Ruggiero. I am a junior Day student and a member of the editorial team of Gate, Madeira's literary magazine.

Madeira: Describe a typical day working in the Congresswoman's office.

On a typical day, I would arrive at 9:00 am and sign in to the computer. There was an extensive sign-in process with a VPN fob to protect the network's security. Then, I would sort constituent emails into different batches to be responded to. While doing that, I would wait by the phone to take constituent calls. These calls could be anything from a request for tickets to the inauguration to a complaint about the Representative. At first, I was nervous, but it became easier the more I did it. Most callers had genuinely good intentions. After the call was over, I would log the caller's information into the system so they could get a response. At twelve, I would take an hour-long lunch break before coming back and performing any odd jobs my supervisor needed me to do. Sometimes I would create summaries of the daily news or move boxes to the storage facility. I would go home at 3:15 every day.

Representative Janelle Bynum and Madeira's Head of School, Mrs. Christina Kyong

Madeira: What was the most memorable moment from your time working on Capitol Hill?

My most memorable moment on Capitol Hill was meeting Representative-elect Janelle Bynum, a Madeira alum recently elected to Oregon's 5th District. She was introducing herself to the other Oregon representatives that day, and she happened to come into the office when I had some downtime. After she had conversed with Representative Salinas, I introduced myself. She was so kind and gave me a big "snail hug!"

Madeira: What are some of the biggest takeaways from your internship?

This internship has been helpful for introducing me to work in a typical office environment. I realized I do not want to work in policy, even though I enjoyed my time there. I trust myself as an intern but not as a decision maker. I also realized I may be more suited to an eight-to-four than a nine-to-five. While it was nice to have time in the morning, I think I would have appreciated it more in the afternoon if I worked full days.

Madeira: Anything else you'd like to share about your Co-Curriculum experience?

If I had to give future interns advice, it would be to try to start networking early in the five-week period. I did not make my connections quick enough, so it was difficult to set up meetings in the last two weeks.