It wasn’t so long ago that Hilary Edwards was walking the halls of La Conner High School.

Now the halls of Congress are in her future.

The 2013 La Conner grad, a first-year law school student at Arizona State University, is one of 12 applicants nationwide to have been selected for a Native American summer congressional internship through the Udall Foundation.

The foundation honors the legacies of brothers Stewart Udall and Morris Udall, whose careers fostered the causes of American Indian self-governance and healthcare as well as stewardship of public lands and natural resources.

The Udall Internship places students in House, Senate, and federal agency offices to learn firsthand how the U.S. government works with Native nations, providing a better understanding of the government-to-government relationship and how they can use that knowledge on behalf of their tribes.

Edwards, who earned her undergrad degree in Business Management from Seattle University three years ago, was seeking a summer internship outside her comfort zone.

Little did she realize at the time that her path would lead to the nation’s capital.

“I have never seriously considered working and living in Washington, D.C.,” Edwards told the Weekly News, “but I have heard about the Udall Internship and had to apply. The internship is extremely competitive, so I didn’t get my hopes up.”

Turns out, she had every right to feel confident about her application. She was elated, being just one-third the way through her law school program, to be invited to interview for the Udall opportunity.

“To be honest,” she said, “it felt great to even be considered for an internship position.”

A member of the Swinomish Tribal Community, Edwards is currently a researcher for an Arizona State University project on violence against American Indians.

She had no intention of taking the summer off.

“Summer internships in law school,” she explained, “are just as important as grades.”

Edwards, the daughter of Steve Edwards and Darlene Peters, has public service in her DNA. Her dad chairs the Swinomish Tribal Senate.

“The Swinomish leaders work diligently on behalf of the Swinomish people,” she said, taking note of what former Tribal Senate chairman Brian Cladoosby said when he accepted the presidency of the National Congress of American Indians.

“He said it takes a leader and a group of individuals to get in a canoe and paddle in the same direction with the same goals in mind,” Edwards recalled, “to make essential governmental services first and foremost for our people.”

In addition to pursuing her Juris Doctorate, Edwards said she will also seek to obtain the Indian Law Certificate and Health Law and Policy Certificate.

But first she plans to make the most of her time in Washington, D.C., scheduled May 27-Aug. 1 unless COVID-19 constraints force schedule changes.

The Udall program brings together a dozen American Indian and Alaska Native college, graduate and law students, offering them access to a network of Native American professionals and alumni who work on behalf of tribal nations.

The 10-week internship is funded by the Native Nations Institute for Leadership Management and Policy.

Stewart Udall served three terms as an Arizona congressman and was U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969. Morris Udall served as a U.S. Representative from Arizona for 30 years, from 1961 to 1991, and sought the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1976.

The foundation bearing their name supports environmental policy research, research on American Indian and Alaska Native healthcare and tribal public policy issues and conflict resolution strategies.

That dovetails nicely with Edwards’ life mission.

“I know for a fact,” she said, “that whatever I do in my career, my work will impact Indian Country.”