From Ivy Tech to Capitol Hill: Business Admin grad lands internship with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Ramanpreet Kaur credits Ivy Tech’s Career Center with helping her build a resume that continuously gets complimented.

“I have shown my resume to various people,” Kaur said, “and they love it. They tell me that it's the best resume ever.”

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Recently, that same resume developed during Kaur’s time at Ivy Tech Indianapolis from 2018 to 2020 helped her secure an internship with United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee in the nation’s capital.

Kaur, a business administration graduate from Ivy Tech Indy and Indiana University transfer, has always been interested in politics and knew she wanted to live in Washington, D.C., one day. But she never imagined she would be working on Capitol Hill for someone in Congress.

“I always wanted to do something with the government, so I’ve always been aware of national organizations or lobbyists,” Kaur said. “But when I found out we could actually work with Congress or Senators, I was like, ‘I’m applying.’”

“[Congresswoman Lee’s Office] told me it was one of the best resumes they’ve seen from someone my age,” she said.

‘Ivy Tech never made me feel stressed out about college.’

Kaur was unsure about enrolling at Ivy Tech Indianapolis after high school. Many in her community pushed 4-year universities, but she had a few friends who were also first-generation immigrant students in 2018, and they recommended Ivy Tech.

“They told me, ‘Hey, if you actually want to have a better experience with everything, just go to Ivy Tech,’” Kaur remembered.

Kaur took her peers’ advice, and she is so glad she did.

“I had the best time at Ivy Tech,” she said.

Kaur not only saved a significant amount of money, which she plans to use for law school, but she received guidance.

Kaur says her favorite part of attending Ivy Tech Indy was how comfortable everyone made her feel to ask for help. She says there was never any shame in walking up to someone and asking for assistance with anything at Ivy Tech Indy; rather, it was encouraged.

“Everyone at Ivy Tech was very helpful. My professors, my teachers, and especially my supervisor. She was basically a guidance counselor for me; she helped me a lot,” Kaur said.

As a first-generation college student from an immigrant family, Kaur wasn’t too sure of the systems and processes to make a class schedule, pay tuition, and many other factors it takes to go to college. So being able to ask for assistance and not feel bad about it was a crucial part of Kaur’s enjoyment of higher education.

“That’s the main part: Ivy Tech never made me feel stressed out about college. Everyone was there to help you. There was so much guidance; all you had to do was go up to people and just ask.”

Kaur recommends that soon-to-be Ivy Tech graduates take advantage of the available guidance and help now because, in her experience, if you move on to obtain a bachelor's from a 4-year institution, they just won’t be as willing to assist you.

And just like that resume she created nearly four years ago, Kaur says it’s the things she learned at Ivy Tech that are still helping her to this day.

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