HillVets Fellowship
Are you a Veteran, Reservist, National Guard, or Gold Star family member?
Do you want to continue your service to our Nation by contributing to the crafting of laws and policies that govern us?
Is it your ultimate goal to undertake policy or advocacy work, perhaps as a staffer in a Congressional office with a VSO?
If the answer is "yes" to any of the above, then a HillVets Fellowship just might be for you!
What is a HillVets Fellowship?
The HillVets Fellowship is an opportunity for highly qualified Veterans, Reservists, National Guard, and Gold Star family members to be placed in a Congressional Host Office for approximately 6 months doing substantive policy work.
HillVets Fellows receive:
-
A small monthly stipend for any four months of their Fellowship placement,
-
Mentorship and assistance from HillVets staff and alumni, who will help tailor your resume, hone your interview skills, develop the qualities necessary to successfully navigate Capitol Hill, assist you with placement in a Congressional Host Office for your fellowship, and support you in your search for follow-on employment,
-
And, access to the vast HillVets community!
Application Process
2
Zoom call with our Fellowship Coordinator
Our Fellowship Coordinator will set up a time to chat with you about all things HillVets - and you! This is your chance to ask questions and get to know us.
3
Submit a writing sample
After your call with staff, we'll have you submit a writing sample.
4
Interview
The final step in our application process is an interview with HillVets staff and a member of our Board of Directors.
5
Offer
We will make an offer of acceptance within two (2) business days of your final interview.
What to expect:
Our onboarding process takes approximately 4 weeks after acceptance, depending on your timeframe for starting your fellowship.
HillVets is a support system for your fellowship, but you are in control!
We will help you find the office that works best for you, your beliefs, goals, and values.
During onboarding, HillVets staff, alumni, and board members are available to help tailor your resume to the Hill, and support you through the application process. We have partnerships with over 40 Congressional offices, known as our HillVets Ambassadors, who understand the value of hiring Veterans. We automatically send your resume to those offices once it's ready. Beyond that, you're welcome to contact non-Ambassador offices and make your own connections, and we will help facilitate where we can! The HillVets network is vast and here to support you - we'll make sure you find the placement that is right for you.
The length of your fellowship is ultimately between you and your Congressional host office, but we recommend 6 months.
After your fellowship, we will help you in finding employment! Take advantage of our HillVets network and making connections where you want your career to go next.
The HillVets Fellowship was a transformative experience marking a fundamental transition in my career. HillVets was tireless in their dedication to helping me realize my potential. I'm humbled by the opportunities it provided. Being a
Fellow is a bootcamp of the legislative process, and the experience surpassed my expectations. Not only did the fellowship help build my network and professional development, but it became a springboard to a Master's program and resulted in a full-time role as a policy advisor. I'm grateful for the experience. It's an honor to continue to serve the nation, and the Veteran community through ongoing HillVets programming.
Essam Attia
Legislative Assistant in the office of Senator Bernie Sanders
HillVets was instrumental in my DC experience. The summer I spent as a HillVets Fellow inspired me to pursue a long-shelved goal — earning my Master's degree — and my cohort encouraged and mentored me through the process. Additionally, I have come to appreciate the vast impact a small organization can have - in HillVets' case, helping Veterans find continued service to our country as policy advisors. The HillVets community is a team; we strive to bring out the best in each other and encourage endurance in the face of setbacks. I am grateful for the time and lessons learned from this incredible community.
Abigail Gage
Former HASC Staff Member
My experience as a HillVets Fellow was exceptional. The ability to learn the inner workings of the legislative branch by formal education and firsthand experience, followed up with concrete opportunities to continue service on Capitol Hill is unique among government fellowships. The fellowship shaped me as a Veteran, and my status as a Veteran left a lasting effect on the Member of Congress with whom I served. HillVets opened doors to a career path that otherwise would have taken much longer to materialize.
Jason Goldberg
Research Scientist/Engineer in Support of DARPA