Aggie Political Interns Well-Represented in Utah, Washington

LOGAN — The Utah legislative session is underway for 2023, and 16 Utah State University students are there to lend a hand.

USU’s Institute of Government and Politics (IOGP) helped a total of 20 students from across the university secure internships in Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C. this spring, and all but four of them have connections to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS).

Founded in 2011 to help students understand the role of government in society, the IOGP facilitates local, national and international internships by assisting students with the application process and connecting them with legislators and governmental entities, as well as private and nongovernmental organizations that have come to value the preparation and determination that Aggies bring to the table.

“Internships are a great way for students to connect their classroom knowledge to real-world experience,” said IOGP Director Shannon Peterson. “Our internships in Washington, D.C., and in Salt Lake City are open to students of all majors and have a proven track record of providing interns with endless job opportunities in all sorts of substantive issue areas.”

This spring’s interns come from multiple disciplines, including journalism, sociology and English, though the majority, unsurprisingly, are majors within the Political Science Department. They are working for congressional representatives and committees as well as state senators, representatives and government offices. However, since the IOGP works actively with alumni, internship opportunities are also available in the nonprofit and private sectors.

Senior Chase Harward, who studies political science and economics, is interning with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) in Washington, while junior Maggie Mace, an international studies major, is assigned to a fellowship within the Utah Governor’s Office to track legislative bills tied to education.

“Interning for the Foreign Relations Committee has been a top-notch opportunity to learn about and observe the day-to-day dynamics of how Congress shapes our nation’s foreign policy, which is exactly what I hoped I’d get out of my time here,” Harward said.

Harward’s internship has already seen him “prepare briefing materials for high-level hearings related to Ukraine and China, ‘set the table’ in the historic SFRC Committee Room for a visit from the King of Jordan, and contribute to the research efforts of the committee’s policy analysts.”

The IOGP spring 2023 interns from CHaSS are:

• Finn Brewer, office of Congressman Moore, Washington, D.C.
• Jenny Carpenter, offices of Rep. Paul A. Cutler & Rep. Colin Jack, Utah
• Caitlyn Chmieleski, office of Rep. Scott H. Chew, Utah
• Jake Garrard, office of Rep. Dan N. Johnson, Utah
• Chase Harward, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Washington, D.C.
• Jett Hawk, office of Rep. Mike Simpson, Washington, D.C.
• Beau Jenson, office of Sen. Kathleen A. Riebe, Utah
• James Kester, office of Sen. Michael S. Kennedy, Utah
• Kallie Lund, office of Sen. Scott D. Sandall, Utah
• Maggie Mace, Utah Governor’s Office Fellowship
• Matthew Peterson, office of Rep. A. Cory Maloy, Utah
• Jordan Schwanke, office of Rep. Blake Moore, Washington, D.C.
• Addison Trupp, office of Sen. Don L. Ipson, Utah
• Eden Ward, office of Sen. Chris H. Wilson, Utah
• Jack Wentworth, office Sen. Curtis S. Bramble, Utah
• William Wright, office of Rep. Keven J. Stratton, Utah

The IOGP is currently accepting applications for fall internships. Students are encouraged to apply before Feb. 25, 2023. CHaSS students doing an internship can receive academic credit for this experience through IOGP. Students wishing to receive financial support for their experience can also apply for scholarships through the IOGP and the CHaSS Experiential Learning Fund.

“Aside from the academic and professional benefits of internships, the best reason to do an internship is to better know yourself” said Peterson, who is also a CHaSS alum. “Internships give students a taste of the real world after college. There is no better time to figure out what you like and do not like, as well as what your strengths and weaknesses are, than while you are still in school.”

Harward agrees. “Owing to the support I’ve received from Utah State’s IOGP — for which I am very grateful — and the wonderful SFRC staff, this has been and continues to be an experience that I will remember forever.”

For more information and to apply, contact IOGP Internship Coordinator Lisa Anderson, at lisa.anderson@usu.edu, or visit: https://www.usu.edu/iogp/apply.