Article by Bridget O'Neill; art by Paige Talerico

I walked into my first day at the U.S. Senate apprehensively, but already I relished the click of my heels through the marble halls, the way I blended into the sea of well-dressed, preoccupied commuters on the metro. Even illusory power is intoxicating. Striding past the Supreme Court on my way to work and flashing a badge, I felt like a cog in a glamorous, powerful machine.