Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman welcomed Conor Sanchez of Santa Fe to his Washington office as part of a five week internship program designed to teach young New Mexicans about the legislative process.

Interns assist legislative assistants in key policy areas, give tours of the Capitol building to New Mexican visitors and relay constituents' concerns and requests to the Senator.

"Interns are a valuable addition to our office. It is wonderful to see young people engaged in politics and we want to encourage their interests," Bingaman said.

Connor graduated in May 2009 from Occidental College with a B.A. in Diplomacy and World affairs and said he wanted to participate in the internship to experience working on Capitol Hill.

"I wanted to see how our Senators work to push the interests and concerns of New Mexicans in Congress," Conor said.

When speaking of his overall experience during his internship, Conor said that he learned "how hard Congressman work and how hard the staff work. They go way beyond what's expected of them. They care very deeply about the issues they're working on and it shows".

Conor is a graduate of Santa Fe High School and is the son of LeRoy and Hellen Sanchez.

For more information about internships with Senator Bingaman's Washington and New Mexico offices please visit www.bingaman.senate.gov.