Major
International Affairs
What three words would you use to describe L&C?
Refreshing, community-oriented, supportive
What Career Center program did you participate in?
CDEV 145: Internship Course
What organization did you work with?
Oregon State Legislature
What did you do at your internship?
My responsibilities included being in charge of the office reception by welcoming drop-ins and relaying constituent concerns to my representative, drafting communications materials like social media graphics/posts, organizing constituent emails, attending team meetings and public hearings/work sessions about chief bills my representative was sponsoring, updating the legislative tracker, coordinating an event where we hosted a guest speaker, and archiving documents.
What is your biggest takeaway from your internship?
I think the biggest takeaway from my internship was how powerful and valuable human connections are. Having a large social network and learning how to engage with other people is an amazing asset that is transferrable to
anything. It doesn’t have to apply to only the workplace. I really cherished the connections I made with my team and appreciated how close their bond was and how they accepted me into their team when I joined. These are relationships that I am going to continue maintaining and I hope that there will be more opportunities to meet with them in the future. Additionally, something else I learned from this internship is the amount of effort it takes to accomplish things within the legislature. There is a constant stream of conflict and negotiation, and you can only surpass it if you connect with the right people and come up with the right strategies. My team was very passionate about what they were working on and that commitment went beyond the workplace, which I found very inspiring. It made me wish I had known them sooner so I could have helped out more.
How is this internship connected to your career goals and/or future aspirations?
I think this internship connects to my career goals and future aspirations because I have always wanted to explore politics. While I don’t necessarily want to become a politician, I think having the experience to engage with
others of different backgrounds and values is a way for me to understand what the world is like beyond school. I am considering a potential career in law, and I think learning politics is pretty closely related because of the communication, problem-solving, and oral and writing skills you need for this profession. Most importantly, learning how to engage with people will help me pursue my career aspirations regardless of what it is.