Max Engling was "shocked" upon learning he was named to the top spot of The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful People list for 2012, but that hasn't stopped him from getting the most out of his new-found notoriety.
"It's been very good, entertaining ... I've enjoyed it so far," he says.
The reaction since the list was published last Wednesday has been "all positive,” say Engling, including the good-natured "hard time" he’s gotten over the Most Beautiful title.
"Getting some flak for it, obviously, but a lot of jokes, congratulations, all that," he says.
The best response came from his co-workers, he said.
"The day of, non-stop people were coming in to my office just to raise me to give me a hard time about it, obviously they were happy and they thought it was great."
Engling takes pride in his Capitol Hill gig, where he serves as a staff assistant on the House Administration Committee, coordinating intern programs, managing correspondence and taking on projects as they arise.
“Hands down the most gratifying” part of Engling's job is the work he does placing interns with intellectual disabilities in congressional offices, he says.
The Hill list has seeped into his work life even beyond jibes from colleagues.
Two different guest speakers "called him out" as the No. 1 beautiful person during an intern lecture series he runs, which "was a little embarrassing.”
The most surprising thing about being named to the list for Engling has been all of the media attention.
"It was really weird seeing myself on Fox News and CNN and waking up in the morning to local news and seeing myself on there ... I figured it would get a little bit of attention around the Hill, but you know, not too much more," he says.
Another consequence of the limelight has been "a lot of friend requests" on Facebook, including from people he doesn't know.
His Most Beautiful nod wasn't the only thing that surprised Engling on the Hill. As an Indiana transplant, he says he noticed the age skewed lower than he expected.
"I had heard that it was a pretty young crowd up here, but when you get here you really understand that you can be 25 years old and take on a lot of responsibility," he says.
He says that, despite popular belief, people that work on the Hill are "not just a bunch of angry, bureaucratic people."
"We're really just regular people, doing our best to work hard ... it doesn't get said enough."
—Reported and produced by Adele Hampton and Geneva Sands.
