Want to know more about ski racing or vaulting (aka horse acrobatics)

Oh, you should talk to Brennan Adelaide!

Brennan exemplified a servant’s heart from a young age. After her family of five moved to San Luis Obispo, CA, Brennan began gardening outside their home to sell produce on the side of the road. She wasn’t trying to make a quick buck though, she donated the profits to charity. Her hustle continued in college at USC. After completing a fellowship in Southeast Asia, Brennan began selling baked goods to bankroll her move to D.C. and her time as an intern.

Unfortunately, when she moved to D.C., her internship was interrupted by the pandemic, but her motivation to help be the change she wished to see in the world prevailed. She dove into her network and worked on a campaign to pad her resume before returning to D.C. This skill of putting in the work came to benefit her when she received a call from Speaker Pelosi’s office asking her to take on the Digital Assistant position — no application needed!

She was ready for it, but more importantly: she was ready to do the work. The same went for her commitment to fostering relationships within her professional network. A master networker, Brennan credits the “many networking calls and helpful humans” to scoring her job with Speaker Pelosi. She notes, “Every conversation that you have is an opportunity to make a strong connection. Never forget to follow-up, especially when people tell you to… Personally, I only refer people for jobs who are consistent in reaching out to me and continuing to communicate as they search for roles.”

The first few weeks of the job were rough, the learning curve was steep. But Brennan wasn’t looking for a job that fit her, she was looking for a job she could grow into. Success for Brennan wasn’t measured in how impressed her coworkers were on day one, but rather the effort she was willing to put in to learn new skills that would make her the best employee she could be. This work ethic and dedication to learning led to a great job on the House Foreign Affairs Committee where she continues to thrive today.

If you are an intern or a junior staffer, Brennan is one of the best connections you could have. Reach out to her on CNCT and schedule a coffee!