Meghan Ryan

October 23, 2015

Welcome to the Government, How Can I Help You?

I have been able to attend a women's liberal arts college due to my mother and father's hard work and dedicated military service. Although I am at Mount Holyoke studying Psychology and Education, I’ve found it hard stay away from my roots. My passion towards the military has intersected my professional career and now, in Fall 2015, I have completed two summers at my federal Senator’s office working with and for New York’s servicemembers and veterans. This summer in particular, I corresponded with New York constituents as well as contacts at the Department of Veterans Affairs and liaisons at the Department of Defense in order to expedite disability claims and monitor military sexual assault investigations. Not only did I speak directly to vulnerable veterans on a daily basis, but I was confronted with the trials of bureaucracy with each case. My summer was spent hoping to validate the experiences of servicemembers', who have been overlooked and mistreated time and time again. The questions I asked this summer focus on government accountability: What does it mean to help people? How are elected officials responsible for helping people? As the daughter, granddaughter, and sister of servicemembers, I felt deeply connected to my work and continue to develop professionally, finding a way to best be a public servant.