Intern strives for power and money

Holly Kendall should have her own reality show. The 23-year-old intern in Rep. Gregory Meeks’s (D-N.Y.) office traveled all the way from Sydney, Australia, to come live with eight people in a three-floor row house.

Thankfully, unlike most reality shows, the house full of young professionals has remained free of bickering, drama or jealous feuds.

“And I hope it stays that way,” Kendall said. “At least until I leave.”

In two months, she’ll return to Australia and finish two undergraduate degrees, in political science and law, at Macquarie University. She began with one degree, but her father convinced her to try law, saying she could always drop back to one major.

“But I’m not one to do things halfway,” said Kendall, who is on her way to finishing Leo Tolstoy’s mammoth War and Peace.

Hardly a cloistered bookworm, Kendall thrives off of exploring the city — two weeks ago she tried macaroni and cheese for the first time. She has been mesmerized by the seasonal shifts in D.C., a complete change from Sydney, where the seasons are less distinct.

Winter in America has also taken on a new meaning for Kendall, who arrived stateside with her father’s snow boots from 1970 and her mother’s 1986 denim sheepskin jacket. While the season was building toward its bitter, blustery peak, she would get e-mails and calls from friends back home gloating of 80-degree days spent on Australia’s beaches.

Though unsure of her dream job, she knows it will be something involving power and money. The high court, perhaps?

“I’ve always denied that I wanted to be a lawyer, but I went to the Supreme Court the other day and it was really inspiring because they were all in the room just talking about big ideas,” said Kendall, who admits she likes to argue.