Gianna Bottom, a criminal justice sciences (CJS) major, was selected for two summer internships, one in Rep. Robert Aderholt’s Capitol Hill office in Washington, D.C, and the other with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). Bottom, who is also the president of Illinois State University’s student-led Criminal Justice Association, said it was an insightful experience as her goal is to advocate for positive change in adoption.
Securing the Internship
The path to the internship was not easy, and it was certainly time-consuming.
“I went through a set of interviews, background checks, wrote an essay, and completed the application process to get the internship,” Bottom said.
The experience
“It was a very busy time for me. Most days I worked a minimum of nine hours and would be up by 6 a.m.,” Bottom said. “I would write memos, sit at meetings, and even escort ambassadors. I also got to polish up reports for publication and did extensive research on child welfare.”
Bottom said the highlights of the internship included working on a policy brief, which was published in CCAI’s July 2023 edition, and presenting her ideas in congressional briefings and to White House and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The policy brief placed keen emphasis on the need for a standardized training program for all adoptive and foster parents to improve the mental health of foster youth.
“It is imperative that my story doesn’t just remain as it is—a story—but that it brings about a revolutionary impact on the mental health of youth in the foster care system.”
Gianna Bottom
Working on the brief was more than an assignment for her. Having experienced mental health challenges while she was in the foster care system herself, advocating for change through CCAI’s Foster Youth Internship Program became a matter close to Bottom’s heart.
“I am more than my story,” Bottom said of why she advocates for federalized mental health training for adoptive parents. “For that reason, it is imperative that my story doesn’t just remain as it is—a story—but that it brings about a revolutionary impact on the mental health of youth in the foster care system.”
She believes that her story is meaningless if it does not result in positive change.
What’s next:
Bottom’s experience on Capitol Hill gave her an inside view of policy and policymakers. With that came an understanding she lacked before, and that is that policymaking is a process that requires intention. Intentionality, she believes, is the key ingredient to making positive change. It is also one of the main reasons why Bottom chose to major in criminal justice sciences.
“Criminal justice is broad and because of that, there are so many ways to help,” Bottom said. “I am grateful to have had this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The Department of Criminal Justice Sciences has more information about majoring in CJS.
