The new staff members of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) put you at ease with their Southern hospitality, but don’t think they aren’t earnest about their work.

Liz Stillwell, 28, the new legislative assistant for Sessions, believes “the staffers are helpful, team-oriented.” She recently visited schools in Alabama with Sessions to congratulate top scorers on their state reading tests.

A former kindergarten teacher, Stillwell compares teaching children to legislative work. “Both require multitasking and getting things done in a chaotic environment,” she explained. At the end of the day, she believes each are “meaningful and make you feel you did something that mattered.”

Though she misses Milo’s tea and attending Alabama University football games, Stillwell expects to work in public policy for a while.

As a health-policy fellow, Lea Yarby, 27, conducts “broad health research to identify problems in Alabama.” The issues include doctors and healthcare providers. She seeks “to eliminate health disparities” for rural Alabama at the federal level.

A doctoral student, Yarby doesn’t “discriminate against bacteria.” In fact, when researching, she can’t get enough information about infectious diseases such as the West Nile virus.

“It’s fun in the office,” Yarby said. “Everyone is very focused but also well-rounded.”

Since leaving Alabama for D.C., Yarby misses home-cooked food. She likes to bake “a good red-velvet cake,” but there is nothing like “chicken and dressing,’” she said. “Particularly my mama’s with cranberry sauce.”

Mark Richards, 35, serves as the systems administrator. If a computer has a problem, he’s there to fix it.

Richards said working in D.C. is demanding. “When it needs to get done, it needs to get done now.”

Richards, a former employee for AT&T, hails from Utah.

Clay Currey came to Capitol Hill for “something new and exciting.” There’s “a lot happening here,” she said. “It’s the only place you can interact with politicians.”

Currey, 25, is the new legislative correspondent, who will support the legislative assistant. After she studied business and marketing at Converse College in South Carolina, Currey worked for an advertising company in the state’s capital city, Columbia.

Having a short while ago moved to D.C., Currey takes pleasure in meeting new people and going to functions after work. She commutes from Alexandria.

After completing a monthlong internship with Congressman Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), Currey has noticed that she is busier on the Senate side. She looks forward “to helping people with issues and problems” on transportation, the environment and other issues.

Emily Mathis, 22, the new press assistant, calls herself “engaging.” That must be why she “likes to make relationships with people. I’m a people person,” she said.

Mathis is off to a quick start. She has already accompanied Sessions for an interview with the “Fox and Friends” morning television show.

A liberal-arts education and its different disciplines made Mathis interested in Capitol Hill. “I like to learn new things that are challenging. D.C. is that challenge.”

She plans to “represent the senator’s views” and be “an asset to his staff.” During her down time, Mathis discovers new bike trails like the ones she recently explored near Mount Vernon.