Internship Location: Madison, WI
Organization Type: State Government
Policy Areas: Legislative
This spring, I interned in the office of State Representative Jenna Jacobson through the Assembly Democrats internship program. Representative Jacobson represents the 43rd Assembly District, which encompasses Stoughton, Edgerton, Oregon, and a number of other smaller municipalities. It was a great opportunity to get hands-on, real-world experience with policy and getting to draw on my La Follette coursework to make connections with challenges that Wisconsin is truly facing was an incredibly rewarding experience. My primary task was constituent casework in which I replied to letters that covered topics ranging from the environment to healthcare to education. While doing this, I strived to incorporate evidence as best I could to provide constituents with the most accurate answers that were also reflective of the representative’s views. In the latter part of my internship, I worked to develop the representative’s website. This gave me the chance to continuously problem solve in teaching myself a new skill with very few resources to help. While it was certainly a frustrating and arduous process at times, I was proud of the way I worked to create a welcoming and appealing website that provides constituents of the 43rd district with a way to interact with state government. I am grateful to have had this opportunity in Representative Jacobson’s office to jump into Wisconsin politics and get a behind the scenes look at everything that lies behind the headlines that catch your attention.