Howard guard's internship put him in middle of U.S. history originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON — This past summer, following a freshman season in which he was the MEAC rookie of the year, Howard guard Elijah Hawkins stayed busy. Through the months of June and July, he practiced from 7 to 9 a.m. each day, then afterwards threw on a polo shirt and slacks and drove to his internship. He worked there Monday through Friday, six hours a day, organizing files and taking notes.
He and his fellow interns would unfold tables and chairs, setting up for meetings. They would place nametags on the tables, making sure they assigned the right ones to the proper chairs. Organization was key to the job.
That job, however, was not your usual internship. Hawkins’ internship was for Bennie Thompson, U.S. representative from the 2nd congressional district in Mississippi. Those meetings were for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, as Thompson is chairman of the panel.
On the same days he was training for his sophomore season, Hawkins found himself in the middle of U.S. history.
“I feel like that was something important that I did,” Hawkins told NBC Sports Washington.
The congressman’s office reached out to Howard University with the opportunity, which came to Hawkins via his coach, Kenny Blakeney. With Hawkins in his backcourt, Blakeney helped lead the Bison to their 1st winning season in 20 years in 2021-22. Hawkins averaged 13.0 points, 5.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Hawkins is from D.C. and went to high school at DeMatha Catholic, as did Blakeney. Like anyone who grows up in the area, Hawkins was always surrounded by the federal government. But he got a very different experience working at the United States Capitol every day.
“It was great, I was pretty starstruck at the beginning, just being part of it. It was fun. I learned a lot about the government and how they operate,” he said.
Hawkins said one of his primary duties was to sit in the office and take notes on the 24-hour news networks. He watched unconscionable hours of CNN.
It was mind-numbing at first, he says, but he got into a rhythm and learned a lot along the way.
“I was there for two months, so I got used to it,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins was part of the crew that set up for the Jan. 6 hearings, which began on June 9 and have continued through the summer and into the fall. Given the sensitive nature, he was not exposed to any classified information or what went on behind closed doors.
But by handling the files, both before and after the hearings, Hawkins was momentarily responsible for historic artifacts.
“The files that we put to the side will be [archived] forever,” he said.
Hawkins just began his sophomore year of college and, like most kids his age, is not sure what he wants to do after graduation. For him, that decision could come after a professional playing career.
Hawkins has considered business, sports management and psychology as potential paths in his studies. He is interested in possibly coaching basketball someday.
So, right now politics aren’t on his radar. But if he does want to join that realm in one way or another, he certainly had an unusual starting point and one that makes his story uniquely related to the city he calls home.
