Michelle Cardenas
With eight students working in Austin or Washington, DC this spring, the LEAP Center at SHSU helped prepare the students for their legislative marathons!
For the students departing their homes and SHSU also means saying goodbye to family, friends, and our lovely campus in Huntsville. This session, there will be seven interns in Austin: Cinthia Villarreal, MaKenna Mcdaniel , Sarah Isett, Saara Maknojia, Sarah-Hope Parohl, Lupe Centeno, and, of course, myself. There will also be one intern in DC, Israel Gallego (and numerous interns in Huntsville…but that’s another blog).
We kicked off our preparation at the Texas Capitol, dressed in our suits and ready for headshots. No matter how many times we see the beautiful pink building, we are always in awe, and the fact that the Capitol is our office until June 2 is even more unbelievable.
We took photos around the Capitol grounds as well as inside on the Senate floor and the famous rotunda.
We had a great time talking, smiling, and learning as we posed for photos and walked around.
After wrapping up our headshots, we headed to Love Supreme Pizza for lunch. Professor Yawn had arranged a meet-up with SHAIP alumni, including Lexi Gonzales, Melva Gomez, Emily Johnson, Sadie McLaughlin, Spencer Copeland, and Oscar Aguilar. It was such a privilege to get to know these alumni and hear about their experiences interning at the Capitol. They shared tips, advice, and encouraging words about navigating our professional careers and this new chapter in our lives. We are incredibly thankful for this group of alumni for taking the time out of their day to help guide us.
Our Segway tour guide started by giving us some riding dos and don’ts before letting us practice. Some of us caught on quickly…
…while others (me, definitely me, once again) needed a bit more time to get the hang of it.
At one point, I was convinced I’d end up with my Segway in a bush, but thankfully, I managed to avoid disaster. Once we got rolling, though, it turned out to be an incredibly fun experience.
We stopped at several spots, including the Capitol grounds and some well-known restaurants downtown.
It was a great way to see the city and get excited about our new home for the next few months.
After the tour, we returned to our starting point, and I was pretty happy to be back on solid ground. It had been an incredible day—from connecting with alumni to exploring Austin on Segways.
We’re all beyond excited to get to work and learn as much as we can during this session. Representing Sam Houston State University is a huge honor, and we can’t wait to make our mark at the Capitol just like previous Bearkats have.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 