Summer Centered: Eitan Geller-Montague '19 Pursues Politics in Washington, D.C.

Eitan Geller-Montague ’19 describes this summer as a “crucial time for me to think deeply about what route I want to take after graduation.” A political science major with a concentration in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, he is interning in Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer’s D.C. office this summer to see if a career on Capitol Hill could be in the cards for him.

"I really [want] to get a feel for if politics is a path I want to pursue in the future,” says Geller-Montague, who is receiving funding from the Center for Career and Professional Advising via a Liberal Arts in the Workplace grant. “My internship with Senator Schumer gives me the opportunity to be in the center of the political world and to acquire hands-on experience that will supplement the theory I’ve learned in classes.”

For much of his sophomore year, Geller-Montague thought he’d be an economics major, even going so far as to declare early in the second semester. But he’d always been more drawn towards politics, and—after many conversations with his parents and professors and some soul-searching—he decided to switch to political science. And now that choice has led him to work alongside someone he’s long admired.

"I applied to Senator Schumer’s office because he has been an inspiration for me since I first became interested in politics,” Geller-Montague says. “It is also very exciting to work for the Democratic leader in the Senate.”

In Senator Schumer’s office, legislative interns—of which there are approximately 25—spend a lot of their time taking calls from constituents, but they also have the chance to conduct legislative research, attend hearings, and write up staff memos, all tailored towards their specific political interests.

"Since my biggest interest is foreign policy,” says Geller-Montague, who is the head of the campus club Friends of Israel, “I focus on Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings and working with the staffers in the office that handle foreign policy.”

And the opportunity to network isn’t one he’s passed up, either.

"I’m very grateful for the Haverford connections I’ve already forged in D.C.,” Geller-Montague says, “which have helped me learn more about different careers and should be a strong asset in the future.”

"Summer Centered” is a series exploring our students’ Center-funded summer work.