Launching Careers in Public Policy

Committees. Press conferences. Proposed amendments. Addendums.

Interning anywhere can be a daunting endeavor, especially at the Texas State Capitol during a legislative session.

But students looking to launch careers in public policy recently had the chance to tap into the experience of professionals working in politics, business and media at the 2013 Texas Legislative Intern Seminar.

Hosted by the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life and the Texas Politics Project, the event, held on January 19, included nonpartisan training for new interns on everything from how state institutions create laws, to how to interview and address legislative members.

2013 Texas Legislative Intern Experience from Moody College of Communication on Vimeo.

The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life hosted the event as part of their New Politics Forum program. The Forum, made possible by the generous support of the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, launched in 2003 to respond to growing political cynicism and disaffection by putting young people at the center of the democratic landscape and sharing political knowledge on a strictly nonpartisan basis.

At New Politics Forum events, students have the opportunity to come into contact with and learn from experienced political professionals, members of the working press, and university researchers. The next New Politics Forum event will be their annual Campaign Bootcamp scheduled for June 2013.

To view a slideshow from the Texas Legislative Intern Seminar, visit http://www.flickr.com//photos/newpoliticsforum/sets/72157632697200429/show/.