The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful People

Age: 23
Hometown: Brookhaven, Pa.
Political party: Democratic
Relationship status: In a relationship

John Sonsalla decided to become a Washingtonian sight unseen — and hasn't looked back since.

A history and politics junkie, Sonsalla decided to attend American University without having visited the campus. 

“I wanted to be in D.C., in the heart of the action,” he says.

He’s the first in his family to graduate from college and says the leap of faith paid off.

“The second I got down here, I really just fell in love with the city,” he said. And except for one summer, he hasn’t left since. 

The policy assistant at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, who calls politics a “24/7 business,” admits that “even when I’m not on the clock, a lot of time is spent in political circles,” attending happy hours and events on Capitol Hill.

That’s on top of long hours at the office, working for clients from Comcast to the Girl Scouts.

“Being in D.C., you meet a lot of people with well-established backgrounds,” Sonsalla says. “I’m from a hardworking, blue-collar family. I don’t have a lot of family connections. But I think hard work kind of overcomes that. It’s just that ‘no excuses’ mentality.” 

This dedication extends to health and fitness. Even two ACL-reconstruction surgeries weren’t enough to keep him benched. 

“My philosophy is: always active,” he says. “Relaxing to me is being active.” 

In addition to morning trips to the gym, Sonsalla enjoys playing pickup basketball and tennis, hiking and going for runs by the water. 

Insisting that it’s more about doing something every day than doing anything in particular, he doesn’t see much of a need for fitness trends like the Paleo diet or CrossFit.

 “I don’t have to pay someone $200 a month to tell me how to work out,” he insists. 

So what’s the key to a healthy body and mind? 

“It’s just keeping yourself motivated,” he said.

— David Kaner

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