These are tough days to be a Democrat in the U.S. Congress, given the party’s bitter divisions with a GOP that enjoys a majority in both houses.

But beyond acknowledging that undeniable fact, Dorcas Adekunle, ’13, could not voice a more optimistic view of her work as legislative counsel to U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a first-term Democrat from New Jersey.

“Many of the things we might propose may not pass, but the point is still to propose them to get people to think about them and talk about them,” Adekunle said.  “When we do regain the majority, we will work on those initiatives.”

And Adekunle plays a part in many of those proposals, including one bill that would study ways to expand veterans’ access to medical services and another that would control online sales of ammunition.

The latter is important, Adekunle notes, since it’s currently possible to buy ammunition over the Internet, “like a fruit basket.”

These initiatives are a small part of the project portfolio maintained by the alumna, who crafts legislative proposals, seeks endorsements for them from advocacy groups and constituents and works with communications people to publicize the congresswoman’s efforts.

Promoting Watson Coleman's agenda has been an evolving task for Adekunle, who first began working as deputy campaign manager when her boss was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly running in a hard-fought primary race for Congress.  After a decisive victory in the primary, Adekunle became policy director in the general election campaign, which made Watson Coleman the first African American woman to represent New Jersey in Congress.  Since then, Adekunle has continued to rise in rank, moving to the position of legislative assistant, where she mastered the rules of the House of Representatives, rules of the floor, methods for tracking amendments, making vote recommendations and staffing the Congresswoman’s events.

Now as legislative counsel, Adekunle digs deep into meaty topics that come into play through the congresswoman’s service on the Homeland Security Committee, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Congressional Progressive Caucus , exploring initiatives to enhance civil rights, defend vulnerable populations, reform the criminal justice system and curb forced arbitrations.

The range of topics for which Adekunle crafts legislation and drafts strategy has renewed her appreciation for law school courses like Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Contracts.

“Constitutional rights are always on my radar,” she said, while Contracts has helped inform her work involving mandatory arbitration and issues related to the mortgage crisis.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Adekunle said, adding that she feels “blessed” to work for a boss who is so committed to solving problems that affect many people and nurturing the nation’s best qualities. “Every day is different.”

While Watson Coleman may not often prevail in the current political climate, Adekunle does not seem remotely discouraged.

“We are a part of challenging policy makers to think about what else they can do, how much further we can go to help people,” she said. “Even if there isn’t a light shining on it all the time, we do know what we do.”