Jewish Girl of the Week – Amanda

You work on Capitol Hill. What are some perks of your job?
I wish I could say there are a lot of perks, but honestly it isn’t all as glamorous as one would think. It’s a lot of hard work but I’m very grateful for my job. Working for a member of Congress has been a unique and rewarding experience that I hope will serve as a stepping stone to a career in policy. I plan to use my experience as a staff assistant and move up and do more legislative work. Currently, a lot of my work involves constituent services, including providing staff-led tours of the Capitol. I always enjoy making someone’s trip to Washington, DC memorable by showing them the US Capitol and sharing my knowledge of the building and our nation’s history.

You spend your summers at Lake Anna. Tell us about that.
My dad built our family’s lake house on Lake Anna when I was about four, and it was all worth it. Now that my sisters are older we try to coordinate weekends where we all go down. For a good four years, it was the primary residence of the Ladden-Stirling clan. That house has been through many Seders, birthdays, and July Fourths. Every July Fourth weekend, we have friends and extended family over. There is boating, jet skiing, badminton, and of course LOTS of delicious food. This past summer, my grandmother made fried zucchini and my mom made key lime pie. In the evening, we get on the boat and watch the fireworks go off.

On non-holiday weekends, I enjoy just laying back and reading in a hammock by the water and playing with our dogs.

You recently returned from a national security trip. What was that experience like?
It was incredible! Foundations for Defense of Democracy sent a group of 20 young professionals interested in national security policy from the DC area to Israel to hear from the experts. Some of the individuals we met with included Uri Lubrani, Israel’s former Ambassador to Iran; acclaimed historian Bernard Lewis; and Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister, Ron Dermer, to name just a few. They provided us insight on issues such as the threat of a nuclear Iran, implications of the recent Arab revolutions, and the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict.

My group also had the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. That will go on my top ten best moments of my life!

A little known fact about you is that you have a clogging and tap dancing history. Explain.
I began dancing when I was 3 years-old and stopped when I was around 16. Sometimes I really wish I hadn’t. I danced jazz, tap, and ballet. My favorite was always tap because I loved making lots of noise. My favorite routine, and I still remember some of it, was to Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.” In my last two years of dance, I picked up clogging. I never competed, but just did it for fun.

Where can we find you on a Friday night?
If I’m not relaxing at home after a grueling week of school and work then I am enjoying Shabbat at Sixth & I or I’m having an evening out with friends. I like to try new places, so I tend to not revisit the same place twice. There is just so much to try in DC and always so much to do! I really like the restaurants and bars in Old Town, Alexandria as well.

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