Internship Location: Madison WI
Organization Type: State Government
Policy Areas: All types but primarily housing policy and voter rights
For my summer internship, I worked in Representative Kalan Haywood’s office, a Democratic representative in the Wisconsin State Assembly. This is his third term in office, and along with being one of the youngest representatives in the state legislature, Representative Haywood is also the assistant minority leader and takes on several different roles on committees such as Housing, Transportation, and Energy & Utilities. As a legislative intern, my responsibilities included assisting with legislative research, drafting communication materials, and engaging with constituents through phone and email communications. I have truly valued this summer internship and how it helped me improve my policy writing and research skills, giving me first-hand experience in a field I am interested in pursuing after graduation. In today’s complex political environment, it is encouraging to see government work at the local level. Through research, conversations with various staffers, observing meetings, and engaging directly with constituents, I gained both a broader understanding and greater respect for legislation in local government. And importantly, what it takes to successfully develop and communicate a proposal and make concrete, positive change for your community.