EP 9: Empowering the Next Generation of Public Servants with Audrey Henson

Today’s guest is Audrey Henson, founder of College to Congress, a DC based nonprofit working to create a more inclusive and effective Congress by empowering the next generation of public servants. College to Congress is disrupting the pipeline of congressional staff by helping students from rural, low-income, and disadvantaged backgrounds secure full-time internships in Congress/ 

In this episode, Audrey I are talking about her journey to Capitol Hill, about the lack of diversity in congress and how the organization that she created, College to Congress, is changing that. 

Episode Highlights

• Audrey’s personal and professional story
• The barriers to interning on Capitol HIll
• The socioeconomic divide 
• The mission of College to Congress
• The perception of College to Congress 
• Having the best constituent services 
• The success of College to Congress 
• C2C University
• The vision for College to Congress
• Bringing positivity back

About Audrey

At 26, Audrey Henson founded College to Congress, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to create a more inclusive and effective Congress by empowering the next generation of public servants. College to Congress is disrupting the pipeline of who becomes congressional staff by helping high-achieving, low-income students secure full-time internships in Congress and covering the true cost of an unpaid internship.

In just three years Audrey has raised over $1.7 million from philanthropic foundations such as The Hewlett Foundation and Democracy Fund and corporations like Facebook, Google, Fox, BP, Toyota, Salesforce, Mastercard, Lyft, and more. The organization was also instrumental in advocating for the initial $14 million in appropriations to fund the House Internship Program. For her work, Audrey was selected out of over 11,000 companies for a WeWork Creator Award, Echoing Green’s 2018 Social Impact Talent Report, and is a 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Audrey has been featured in The New York Times, CBS This Morning, CBS News, The Washington Business Journal, Politico, and more. Audrey grew up in Texas, but is a Floridian in her heart. She studied political science and theater at the University of South Florida and is currently a Socrates Aspen Fellow.

Connect With Audrey

College to Congress Website https://www.collegetocongress.org

C2C University https://www.c2cuniversity.org

College to Congress on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/collegetocongress/

College to Congress on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/collegetocongress/

Audrey Henson on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreylhenson/

Audrey Henson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/audreyhenson_c2c/?hl=en

---

Subscribe to the This or Something Better podcast!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Podcasts

Did you enjoy today’s episode?

If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out!

Do you know someone who might enjoy this episode? Share this episode to inspire and empower!

Let's connect on social media!

Facebook @thisorsomethingbetterpodcast

Instagram @this.orsomethingbetter