Anna Pittman, daughter of Natalie Pharr Pittman and niece of Tom Pharr, Anchuca Bed and Breakfast owner and local developer, recently completed an internship with U.S. Sen. Cindy-Hyde Smith in the nation’s capital.

She is currently studying a program in Washington D.C. with The Fund for American Studies (TFAS). Pittman was accepted into the program early in December 2021 and awarded a scholarship that opened up several opportunities. 

“The premise of the program is to live, learn and intern. So you live in Washington, D.C., you intern somewhere in the area in the field of interest and you study and you take classes at George Mason University,” Pittman said. “ I began to look for internship opportunities and I knew I wanted to work on (Capitol Hill).”

 Generally, representatives have internship opportunities, but it was her aunt that introduced her to Hyde-Smith’s office, where she applied for the internship. 

However, Pittman said there was never a dull moment during the internship because the tasks changed daily. 

“We get to help with day-to-day operations, like constituents, communications and research and things of that nature,” Pittman said. “But we also get other cool opportunities like getting to tour the dome of the U.S. Capitol and getting to meet other Congressional staff and Congress members. So it’s really neat.”

Pittman said she appreciates the inside view that her internship gave her when it comes to the legislative process. 

“I’ve learned a lot about how much it takes behind the scenes for our country to run. I’ve learned to appreciate how many people are working in our nation’s best interest every day that you may not see on the television,” Pittman said.  “There are a lot of hard workers in our country that do a lot to pass bills and to research legislation that you may never know their name but it’s really interesting to me just see all of that behind the scenes.”