Shinett Boggan, a 2001 Greenville High School graduate, is getting a life lesson in politics this summer in Washington, D.C.

The University of Alabama senior is interning at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

She works each day in an office building located between the U.S. Supreme Court and Hart Senate Office Building.

Her duties include managing telephone calls, directing senators and finance directors, writing summary reports on legislative votes, converting election data, making senatorial deliveries and much more.

She has also been working on fund-raising events in Minneapolis and New York, and also one for New Jersey Senator Jon Corzine.

The latter cost $5,000 a plate to attend.

Boggan said one of the hardest things about moving to Washington was getting used to the rail system.

&uot;Coming

from Alabama, learning to use the Metro was kind of a challenge at first, but after the first day or two I was fine,&uot; she said.

She has also spent some time seeing the monuments and various sites that make the city famous.

She is also staying at George Washington University while on the internship, and was present in the city for the Reagan State Funeral.

However, she missed the opportunity to pay homage to the fallen leader.

&uot;I did not have a chance to go to the Capitol to see Reagan lying in state because I work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and everything was pretty congested in the area,&uot; she said.

During the week’s events, she also got a first-hand view of the dangers in the city since 9-11 when the building where she works was evacuated after the Kentucky governor’s plane veered into a no-fly zone.

&uot;My initial reaction was to be scared but everyone around me was pretty calm, so almost immediately I felt the same way,&uot; she said.

Her internship may end in August, but Boggan’s memories will likely last a lifetime.