Supporting a Senator on the Hill
Maine resident Charles Jagger ’26 interns with Sen. Susan Collins in Washington, D.C.
Charles Jagger ’26 spent his summer at the center of the nation’s political and fiscal economy.
Jagger, a resident of Isleboro, Maine, and a finance major, served as an intern for Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the chair of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations.
“The economics classes I’ve taken at Wheaton led to my interest in finance and understanding economics,” he explained. “Appropriations oversees the fiscal budget of Congress so I thought this would be great exposure to this area.”
Among his responsibilities, Jagger coordinated the Senator’s incoming constituent communications and took notes during committee hearings. “We want to make sure our staff knows what our constituents are calling about each day, and we help share those perspectives,” he said.
Jagger also supported the Senator’s staff on a variety of endeavors, ranging from working on bills to drafting letters to constituents on policy areas of interest to him.
“I’ve learned how the government works, following the legislative process and bringing information to the Senate floor,” he said.
“I’m gaining a broad knowledge of the political system, meeting with and learning from as many people along the way.”
A member of both the Wheaton Business Club and the Wheaton Investment Association, Jagger is taking advantage of opportunities to make connections and learn.
“Wheaton’s liberal arts education allows me to take different classes that I may not have access to at an undergraduate business school, for example,” said Jagger. “By taking classes in philosophy, history and writing, that knowledge and those skills help you be ready for a broad array of tasks as an intern.”
Jagger appreciates how much he has learned at Wheaton and the support he has received from others. “Having smaller classes allows you to interact more with professors and classmates,” he explained. “I recommend that other students take advantage of these interactions. Each person brings different perspectives and experiences which I’ve found very helpful.”
This fall he will study in Greece, where he plans to learn about the debt crisis that has plagued the country since 2008. Jagger explained, “Financial literacy is important and understanding domestic and foreign financial issues that countries have been through will help me in the future.”