Idaho native Makena Rauch originally lived in Washington, D.C., when she interned for Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo in summer 2022. Now, nearly three years later, Rauch is once again living in the nation’s capital as part of the S.J. Quinney College of Law and Hinckley Institute’s Spring to D.C. program.
“I enjoyed my time in D.C. while working in the Senate, and I really love D.C.’s atmosphere and wanted to go back there. The Spring to D.C. program definitely opened my eyes and opened a door to returning during law school,” Rauch explains.
The program has also allowed Rauch to experience the other side of Congress: She is currently working for the House Budget Committee, reporting directly to the committee’s general counsel and writing memos about confirmation hearings, summarizing economic reports, and analyzing constitutional law issues.
“I track bills, noting when a bill arrives for the budget committee and whether we are going to do markups on it. I also help keep the committee staff informed on Hill and Supreme Court news and bring a legal perspective to the budget process,” she says.
The best part of Rauch’s experience so far is being part of the action in Washington, D.C.
“I love being in the nation’s capital. So much is happening all the time. Sometimes when you get outside of D.C., people don’t care as much about the Hill—but here, everybody cares about politics, the country and the news,” Rauch says.
Students participating in the Spring to D.C. program also have the opportunity to live in the Hatch Center, two interconnected brownstone buildings in Dupont Circle (a neighborhood just nine blocks from the White House).
“The Hatch Center is really close to the metro and great restaurants. It’s a wonderful place to live,” Rauch says. “The public transportation system is incredible—connecting the city, bringing the community closer, and making it more accessible for everyone.”
She encourages students who are interested in the Spring to D.C. program to plan ahead, as it requires externship credits.
“Spring to D.C. is essentially like a study abroad program in the United States, so some people wouldn’t choose to do what I’m doing,” she explains. “If you have a job or goal in mind around politics, the best place to do that job, network, or find a job is in D.C. It’s been an amazing experience so far. Law school is hard and challenging, but you can still do it and be working in the nation’s capital.”
Though Rauch is no stranger to the East Coast—she received a scholarship to play Division 1 golf at Marshall University in West Virginia and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and criminal justice there—she wanted to return to the West to be closer to home after finishing her degree. She picked Utah Law in part for its proximity to outdoor sports and the academic rigor.
“I love to ski, hike, and bike, and the College of Law is a great school. I had already committed to coming to Utah Law before I even visited because I was playing golf and couldn’t make it to an admitted student day,” Rauch recalls. “But when I stepped foot on campus, I was just so happy that I was there. The law school building is amazing, and it’s a wonderful place to grow and thrive.”
Rauch also likes the small cohort size and being part of the Pro Bono Initiative.
“I love the pro bono work we do at Utah Law, and it was a huge reason why I came. Going out into the community to speak with people with real legal issues and seeing your law degree in action is absolutely wonderful,” she says. “I feel like my accomplishments in law school have come through the people that I’ve met, the people that I’ve talked to, the people that I’ve brought together in communities—giving a voice to people who don’t feel like they have a voice.”
As part of this commitment, Rauch reinstated Utah Law’s Pride Law Caucus, which was inactive after the previous student leaders had graduated.
“I wanted to create a space where queer people felt comfortable and also create a scholarship like the Minority Law Caucus (MLC) offers,” she explains. “I’m the MLC treasurer and president of the Pride Law Caucus, so we do a lot of work together. We held an event last fall at the Disability Law Center after the election, and it was a really accepting space. Associate Professor Daniel Aaron has been involved as well, and he’s been wonderful to work with and offers queer representation within Utah Law.”
Interacting with minority communities has been a rewarding part of Rauch’s law school experience, and she looks back on her outreach work fondly. Though she hasn’t solidified her career plans yet, Rauch says she would like to work in a general counsel role for a corporation or within the government.
“Part of the reason I’m in D.C. is because I would love to write policy—and to write policy, to understand policy, you should know the law,” she says. “A lot of people go into law school with a social justice background and will talk about public interest. In my eyes, public interest is writing policy and making other people’s lives better.”
Learn more about Utah Law’s experiential education, including the Spring to D.C. program.