We're excited to connect with our alumni through our Darlington Connects series. Today we hear from Max Berry (‘15), a legislative correspondent in Washington, D.C., serving Brian Mast, a U.S. Congressman from Florida.
As a junior at Darlington, Max had the opportunity to attend a Youth Summit sponsored by then U.S. Congressman Tom Graves of the 14th Congressional District in Georgia. That opportunity, along with the history and government coursework he took at Darlington, led Max to major in international affairs and minor in Arabic at the University of Georgia. At UGA, he took advantage of a program during his senior year where he served as an intern in Congressman Graves' office in Washington, D.C. While there, Max became fascinated by the work of the Legislative Branch and decided it was where he wanted to start his career.
After UGA, Max secured a position in Congressman Graves’ office as a staff assistant in May of 2019. He was promoted to legislative correspondent in February of 2020, just as COVID-19 hit the country. Congressman Graves had decided not to run for office again in 2020, but Max still felt like D.C. was where he needed to be. He received a referral for a legislative correspondent opening with the office of Congressman Brian Mast from Florida's 18th Congressional District. When offered the job, Max jumped at the chance to continue his career in public service.
Max’s work as legislative correspondent involves keeping the people of the 18th Congressional District (located in southeast Florida) informed on the work the congressman does in Washington and working on the issues that are important to Congressman Mast and his constituents.
“Having only worked for a congressman from my home district, it’s been really interesting learning about the 18th District of Florida,” Max said. “Environmental issues are of great importance to the people of the 18th and Congressman Mast as are transportation issues and foreign affairs.”
Darlington legacy relationships run deep in Max’s family. His late father, Mark (‘68), and uncle, Bob (‘64), were both boarding students, and his sister, Sara, graduated in 2017. Max’s mother, Angie, worked at Darlington and is married to Jim Hunter (‘75). His roommate in Washington, Lucas Greenberg (‘14,) is even a Darlington alumnus!
“Darlington pushed me out of my comfort zone exposing me to people from other parts of the world," said Max. "I gained the fortitude and confidence to take on big tasks in intense environments. The value of public service was instilled at a young age at Darlington and has very much carried with me into my professional life.”
Max is excited about the Darlington Connects program and is willing to help fellow alumni who are interested in politics and working in Washington, D.C. Email connect@darlingtonschool.org to connect with Max and other alums who have been featured in Darlington Connects blogs.
Are you a Darlington alum (or do you know one) with an interesting career or community involvement? We'd love to spotlight you in a future blog! Please email connect@darlingtonschool.org if you are interested in being featured.
