By Faith Farley, Government Relations Intern, AACRAO
Serving as an AACRAO government relations intern for the past two years and having the privilege of attending AACRAO Congressional Hill Day in 2024 and 2025 has helped me grow as a professional and advocate. Having the ability to advocate on behalf of learners, like me, and the higher education community AACRAO serves has allowed me to shape the future of higher education policy. Additionally, seeing firsthand the impact of AACRAO advocacy on higher education has been incredibly rewarding.
Why Advocate
The policies debated and discussed on the Hill impact the lives of every learner and higher education professional. AACRAO Congressional Hill Day provides members with the opportunity to shape the policies Congressional offices support by sharing their essential practitioner perspectives. While many Congressional staffers have the best intentions, they don’t have the lived experiences that AACRAO members and learners who navigate the policies daily do. This is where AACRAO Hill Day steps in to fill the gap, connecting policy experts with practitioners to ensure legislation serves its intended purpose and does not hinder higher education. Being partnered with practitioners and hearing how policies impact learners across the country shifted my perspective and showed me how valuable practitioner input is when drafting policy. Participating in the legislative process gave me firsthand experience of how policies are created and encouraged me to engage in advocacy on policy issues important to me.
Advocacy promotes professional development, whether you are just beginning or nearing the end of your career. Engaging with policies and becoming an advocate is incredibly rewarding. One of the most beneficial aspects of AACRAO Hill Day is the training advocates receive beforehand. Before arriving in D.C., advocates will complete the AACRAO Federal Advocacy 101 Course (free for members), which familiarizes them with the legislative process and provides insight into the importance of advocacy. Once advocates arrive in D.C., the day before Hill Day is spent meeting with former congressional staffers, receiving presentations from higher education professionals, and familiarizing themselves with the issues they will advocate for. This process provides advocates with a greater understanding of pressing higher education issues and equips them with advocacy skills that they can use in their state and regional associations.
Hill Day Successes
One of the most rewarding aspects of Advocacy is watching your efforts pay off, with legislation you’ve supported being introduced or efforts you advocated against not going into effect.
- Take, for example, Reverse Transfer Legislation, which AACRAO strongly supports and was reintroduced in the 119th Congress, in part due to our advocacy meetings and efforts.
- Additionally, AACRAO members informed Congressional offices of provisions that AACRAO did not support, and as a result, these offices rejected many of these stances, including reductions in Pell Grant funding, cutting TRIO funding, and rejecting the President’s skinny budget proposal.
Through AACRAO’s Advocacy efforts, positive change is made.
You Can Apply for AACRAO Hill Day
AACRAO Congressional Hill Day applications are open now. To apply, visit the AACRAO Hill Day Application webpage. You must be an AACRAO member to apply. Applications close May 1, 2026. If you have any questions, please reach out to gr@aacrao.org.
Beyond applying for Hill Day, consider visiting the AACRAO Advocacy Center, where you can easily send a letter to your representatives supporting extending the ACTS reporting deadline and supporting the Professional Student Degree Act (H.R. 6718), among other issues.