On November 7, 2005, APSA Executive Director Michael Brintnall welcomed the 2005–2006 class of APSA Congressional Fellowship Program (CFP) Fellows. In his opening remarks to 31 Fellows, Brintnall articulated three primary roles of the APSA congressional Fellows. First, he noted that following the five-week intensive orientation, APSA Fellows would become full-time Capitol Hill staff members. In this capacity Fellows are typically expected to demonstrate loyalty and dedication to advancing the issues of importance of the Senator or Representative in whose office they serve. The second role involves joining the distinguished fraternity of approximately 2,000 others in the program's history. This role requires current Fellows to recognize the program's rich and storied history and to take steps to advance the interests of the program. Third, APSA fellows are to be active learners. The CFP is an experiential fellowship, based on the participant-observer model. Now that the midpoint of the fellowship year is approaching, it seems appropriate to use the remainder of this essay to briefly reflect on these three roles. In doing so, I am reminded of the ancient Chinese proverb—”I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand.” Undoubtedly, the CFP provides a firsthand opportunity to learn about the first branch of government by doing.