Internship Location: Madison, WI
Organizational Type: State Government
Policy Area: Legislative Affairs
From January of 2022 through May of 2023, I have worked as a legislative intern at the Wisconsin Capitol. Because I’ve worked several sessions in the Capitol, I have been able to experience the beginning, middle and end of a legislative biennium. Each season brings new projects and responsibilities. As an intern, my responsibilities included constituent outreach, bill research, bill tracking, graphic design, and newsletter work. I was pushed to learn new skills, but also to expand on the skills that I already had. I learned that making your goals known is just as important as asking questions. Context matters in a building with so many moving parts and the learning is endless. You truly get out what you want, so being passionate about your work is critical. I grew in the expected skills like Excel, policy writing and research, and graphic design. I also grew in softer skills like writing from viewpoints that differ from my own, staying neutral in conversations, and asking the right type of questions. I felt like the work that I completed during my internship had a true impact on the community because I was able to hear and respond to real concerns from the district that the representative I worked from lived in. The best way to understand the democratic process is to be a part of it.