When Laura Nevitt learned last quarter that Wisconsin has never sent a woman senator or representative to Congress, she thought someone needed to break that trend.
“I decided that I would be that person,” said the 30-year-old College of Liberal Arts junior, who is mapping out her way to the U.S. Capitol with a stopover at the Minnesota Legislature.
Nevitt, a women’s studies major, commutes each day from Luck, Wis. She is one of 11 women’s studies majors and 23 political science students from the University and is getting her feet wet with an internship at the Legislature.
Internships serve a double purpose, giving students educational training and experience while providing needed help for legislators, said Sen. Sam Solon, DFL-Duluth. Senate interns are paid $150 per month; House interns receive no compensation.
The University offers a three-credit legislative internship course from the Department of Women’s Studies, in addition to a four-credit political science internship.
But the two courses differ in more ways than the credit count.
“We focus on gender, how the Legislature works and how women assume leadership roles,” said women’s studies professor Jacquelyn Zita.
Not all of Nevitt’s classmates have her political aspirations. Zita said most of her students want to “demystify” the state and investigate specific women’s and children’s issues.
The interns research an issue, like domestic violence or women in housing throughout the session. The work is compiled into a final paper, which gives a thematic approach to the internships.
“We try to make sure that they’re not just doing busy-work,” Zita said.
Although Nevitt focuses on environmental issues and welfare legislation, she spends most of her time learning what it takes to be a legislator.
“I really am here just to watch and learn,” said Nevitt, who is vice president for her local Democratic caucus. “It’s a real practical experience for me.”
Among her many duties, Nevitt attends environmental and agricultural committee meetings to assist Rep. Kathleen Sekhon, DFL-Burns Township. She also reports back on meetings that the representative cannot attend.
“I tend to giggle at the formality of it all,” Nevitt said.
Nevitt would not be the first University student to start a career with a legislative internship.
“A lot of them are networking, and each year I’ve taught it, some people have gotten jobs,” said political science professor Virginia Gray.
Nick Campanario, a CLA senior, held an internship last year that led to his full-time position on Sen. Solon’s committee staff. Campanario said the internship program helped him do more than just network.
“Without the class, I’d just write letters, talk to a few people and go home,” explained Campanario. “It gave a lot of focus and direction.”
The political science course also assigns a final paper on how a specific bill becomes a law. Campanario followed the welfare overhaul, one of the most deliberated issues in the last session. He researched welfare at reference libraries and went to committee hearings.
“I bet there’s never been a bill that had as many hearings as that one,” Campanario said.
Campanario’s internship experience is pushing him toward a life-long career in public service. “It seems like you can do more to help people there,” he said.