Although the academic year doesn’t begin for another month, it’s time to think ahead if you are considering an internship. One internship promoted by PPPA is the annual WA state legislative intern program.

The priority application deadline is October 6th, but recruitment for the 2016 Legislative Internship program in Olympia has been underway since last spring. An information session was held in May, and the online application opened in June.

“Early in fall quarter, we’ll set up another info session for UW Tacoma students,” noted lecturer Ann Frost, PPPA internship coordinator. A date for the session hasn’t been set yet, but Frost recommended that interested students don’t wait for it, instead accessing the information online as they will have an advantage if they meet the priority deadline.

UW Tacoma normally sends between six and twelve interns to Olympia every winter session—representing a large proportion of the 50-75 interns from all across the state.

Though the day-to-day operations of the internship program are handled by Olympia, Frost keeps tabs on the UW Tacoma interns all quarter.

Are the interns all PPPA majors?

“Not even half,” Frost stated. “They come from all over campus.”

“All sorts of issues are addressed in the legislature every year,” she said. “Things that are relevant to almost every facet of life.” So, the internship could be a perfect fit for any major.

Brittany Hale, a 2014 intern, heard about the internships right after starting at UW Tacoma. She saw it as a “great experience that could potentially open doors for me.”

She was right—but more about that later…

What does the internship entail?

Interns earn 15 credits for the quarter-long internship, and a stipend to help pay for expenses. The internship also satisfies the capstone requirement for PP&E majors. But it’s the real-life experience that is the most valuable aspect.

“It really is a 40-hour week,” Frost said. Interns are supposed to work 30 hours, with 10 hours a week to work on journals or research for their final papers, “but I’ve been told pretty consistently they don’t get that extra time.”

Frost assures students that she’ll advocate for them—to get them that extra time—but most of them claim “what we’re doing is so interesting, we’re kind of ok with it!”

How does it work?

Each intern is typically assigned to work with two legislators—but Eric Williams and Dale Porter each worked for three.

“The Trifecta,” Porter called his bosses. “A liberal from Seattle, a moderate from Tacoma, and a conservative from Eastern WA.” Although challenging, Porter said it was “was a good experience. I was able to learn a lot about time management.”

“The organizers try to match students up with legislators who share similar interests with the intern,” Frost noted, “so they’re not working on something thinking, ‘Wow, I hate this! I wish the legislator took the opposite position.’”

So, what do interns do?

“Ultimately, they are doing various small projects for the legislator,” Frost said. These can include taking phone calls, responding to constituent letters—or doing research for the legislator.

Williams spent a lot of time with constituents—once even taking charge of a Town Hall meeting his legislator had to miss because of budget negotiations.

“I really enjoyed meeting with constituents,” he said, noting it was his favorite part of the job.

Interns are given a lot of leeway to attend hearings or watch debates—or to accompany legislators to an event or speech.

“It’s not like they’re just sitting in an office answering phones,” Frost said. “They get to see what’s going on and get involved—which I think is really cool.”

Mock hearings and budget exercises – discovering how decisions are made

Porter’s favorite experience was a mock hearing using an actual bill before the legislature at the time.

“I was assigned to act as the [house] minority leader, with other interns acting as lobbyists, constituents, or representatives.”

The bill was meant to protect a small rural hospital near the Gorge, by adding a surcharge to help cover costs from those who don’t pay for their care.

“I thought it was a great bill,” Porter said. Without it the hospital would have closed, “effectively isolating an aging population from any kind of health care.”

The interns also took part in a mock budget exercise, something Williams credited with helping him understand “how tough it is [to balance a budget] when you value things so much you don’t want to budge.”

What else is involved?

Interns are required to keep some kind of journal, but the format is up to them.

“They all send me some kind of weekly update,” Frost said. “A blog, an email—whatever works best for them.”

Another requirement is a twenty page research paper due at the end of the quarter. Frost tells interns to “make it interesting and relevant—something your legislator is working on or something else you see happening.’”

Porter’s experience with the mock hearing inspired him to write about the rural hospital bill.

“I had an emotional response…I thought [the issue] was important.” Since one of his representatives was a prime sponsor of the bill, it was a good choice.

Williams chose to tell “A Tale of Two Schools”—looking at drastically different student outcomes at two local elementary schools located a mile apart in the same district. The topic has been close to his heart for a while, and he used the resources available to him as an intern to complete his research.

Hale’s paper, “Medical Marijuana”—winner of the 2014 PPPA paper prize—considered a topic that concerned many of the constituents she spoke with daily. Their worries prompted her to “look into the policy and focus on it” for her paper.

Internships can sometime become jobs…

Legislative internships happen during winter quarter, but the session doesn’t end by the end of the quarter—and sometimes interns choose to stay on.

Williams graduated in March, but continued working for the remainder of the session. He now has a job as Veteran Military Liaison for US Rep. Derek Kilmer.

After her internship ended, Hale returned to Olympia as a Session Aide. And she was recently hired as a Records and Forms Analyst for the Liquor and Cannabis Control Board—all through connections she made as an intern.

According to Frost, this isn’t unusual, but interns aren’t necessarily thinking, “’Oh, I want to run for office or be involved with government.’ Sometimes it’s just an interest in discovering how things move through the legislature.

“But people who are interested are often able to get a job out of it. It’s really great!”

Do former interns recommend the experience?

Porter offered an emphatic, “Yes!  Theory can only get you so far,” he said. “But the [program] organizers work with you, teaching you communication skills, how to write in a professional setting, office etiquette, resume writing, and they will lead you on whatever path you want to take.”

If you’re interested in applying…

“The earlier the better,” say the former interns. The deadline is mid-October, but it can take time to gather reference letters and writing samples. Porter claimed that “more weight is given to those who apply earlier”—although Williams might disagree. Last year, he applied on the last day.

“I [also] cut it pretty close,” remembered Hale. “But, it has been invaluable to me.”

So…what are you waiting for?