Austin – Page 5 – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

LEAP Center Students in Austin: Day 3

LEAP students woke up to nerves this morning, looking ahead to a day of preparation and presentations. After roughly forty-eight hours of learning the ins and outs of campaign management, fundraising, budgeting, and direct voter contact, we finally had the chance to present our path to victory for our fictional candidates to an esteemed panel of expert judges, most of who had been lecturing us this weekend on the same topics.

We worked for the beginning hours of the day to practice and make finishing touches to our presentations, with jitters pervading most group sessions.

In the early morning, we made some last-minute revisions to our projects, working in groups or, occasionally, alone.

By 10:30 we had to turn in our finished products and hope that everything would go well. After getting a group picture with the whole Campaign Bootcamp group, we split up into three different groups of three different rotations: presenting, a session on getting your foot in the door in the workplace, and a workshop over civic reflection and engagement in young people.

After the group photos, all of the groups were separated into three rooms, one of which was meant for civic reflection. Deborah Wise, the director of educational outreach for the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life was there to guide the session and explained to us that civic engagement is how the community gets involved with politics.

Once in the room she separated us randomly into three different groups where we discussed the lack of civic engagement as well as solutions for it. The topics revolved around the age gap in voters, why people don’t go out to vote and the impact of the media. Once we had enough time to discuss the issues and possible solutions, all of the groups sat together as a whole and we went into a deep brain storming session. Everyone had their own opinions for targeting younger people to get involved in politics but the main ones were to target education, parents, and how politics are viewed. I shared my opinion about the lack of education over local politics in high schools and giving politics a “young face”. Others shared their opinions of targeting the parents and educating them in politics. Deborah Wise then separated us into groups of 2-3 to discuss plans to boost civic engagement for younger people in communities. Once we had time to discuss our plans in the small groups we went back to our whole group and discussed them with everyone. The group as a whole agreed that the reasons that young people do not participate in politics is because they believe their vote doesn’t matter, they are undereducated in regard to local government and they believe it is an old mans game and its out of their reach. Solutions for this were showing younger people that they CAN vote by setting an example and being civically engaged ourselves, local government having a bigger part in high school other than just federal government and targeting issues in politics that affect the 18-29 year olds.

The Civic Reflections section was a great session that provided a more hands-on learning environment that we really enjoyed. Everyone was vocal and loved sharing and hearing different opinion. It showed us that people could really come together to solve an issue.

Heading to the conference room to present between the two different sessions, each group was given just eight minutes for their presentation and an additional seven minutes to answer questions from the judges.

As a student, the presentation was intimidating because groups were given relatively little time to prepare and practice. Although daunting, presenting to our judges proved to be a useful learning tool and a valuable public speaking experience.

In addition, each group had the opportunity to observe various other groups present and learn from what they did well and ways they could improve. Stressed the whole weekend, the hard part did not end once the presentation was over, but instead the Q & A proved to be almost more strenuous, as the judges asked questions and probed for questions that could have been left out during the presentation. The group presentations may have been stressful, however; it was arguably the best hands on learning experience and preparation for a career within political campaigns.

Continuing with rotations we moved on to a presentation by Maegan Stephens, a communications lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin. We learned about the major steps for getting our feet in the door in political campaigns. We started with an interesting and fun activity of searching for the person sitting next to us on the internet and finding anything that could affect their possibility of getting hired. It was a fun way to learn about tactics professionals use to search job candidates and tips for us to remember when posting on social media. Next, we signed up for a LinkedIn account. Our trainer gave us tips for developing our account such as customizing our URL, and developing a strategic headline and summary. She also gave us great tips for building our endorsements and recommendations on our profile. After developing our LinkedIn accounts we moved on to interview tips. We learned that Interviews would be a very important part of an employer’s decision. We learned great ways to answer commonly asked questions in a strategic way and ideas about our goals to have clear in our mind before an interview. Clear goals will help us build a story and may brand our name. Interview delivery tips are also of great importance. We should be able to deliver effectively even if we might be nervous during an interview. Lastly, we discussed networking and the importance of making connections in political careers. Sometimes networking may be hard, but we learned excellent tips on how to approach it and overcome challenges. Networking should be the next step for getting our foot in the door.

After our rotations and regrouping in the main conference room, we were able to give some feedback as a large group about what was good and what could improve for next year. Following the opinion piece, we finally received the judge’s decisions on the different categorical winners for the campaign plans and also the overall winner. Representing Sam Houston State University, Constance Gabel and her group Democratic Team 4 won the “Get Out the Vote”/voter contact category over the other teams efforts in the same area. Needless to say after much networking techniques, knowledge, and tools for campaigning presented to us, we left the New Politics Forum Campaign Bootcamp completely different students.

We did some brief site-seeing around campus…

…and then headed back to the hotel.

At this point, Jazmin Perez and Mitchell Sanchez had to leave, going back to Huntsville to begin work the next day. The rest of us, however, stayed on in Austin for another day to watch the House and Senate in their final day of the session.

To finish the day, we ate dinner at The Clay Pit, a wonderful Indian restaurant in the heart of Austin’s downtown. Most of us not ever having tried Indian, it was such a blessing to have a waitress that clearly walked us through the menu and gave suggestions that turned out to be delicious. We tried many different kinds of dishes including Naan, a pita bread type of dish, a seafood grill, Tikki Masala, a red sauce, Khuroos-E-Tursh, a chicken dish stuffed with cheese and spinach in a sweet, almond sauce, and Lamb Roganjosh, a lamb dish in an onion sauce that might have been the table favorite. We finished with a dessert of Chai Spice Crème Bru Lee, rice pudding, and vanilla pudding with a side of grated carrot pudding. Stuffed, we left the restaurant to take a late night stroll through some of the older parts of UT’s campus.

We spotted some art and some strategically placed greenery, but the evening and the whole weekend culminated standing between the UT Tower and the Capitol, feeling the immensity of the city and our civic purpose as college students in a time full of political apathy. We also ended the weekend a much closer group, better prepared to tackle future challenges and opportunities.

We ended the evening exhausted and drove back to the hotel ready to tackle the last day of our weekend trip.

LEAP Center Students with Matt Glazer and Luke Marchant — Glazer, Marchant, and LEAP Students

LEAP Center Students would like to thank Emily Einsohn, Drew Galloway, Luke Marchant, and Matt Glazer for leading such a great program!

LEAP Center in Austin: Governor’s Inauguration, 2015

We left Huntsville excited about the prospect of learning more about our great nation’s past and being present for history in the making-Governor Greg Abbot’s Inauguration. We split up the three-hour drive by stopping in Elgin, Texas for some lip-smacking Meyer’s barbeque. Here we enjoyed a large variety of different meats, including brisket, sausage, chicken, ribs, turkey, pulled pork, and chopped beef. To accompany the excellent protein options, we tried their tasty sides, of which potato salad was a group favorite. The wooden furniture and rustic décor made the food taste even better, as the atmosphere transported us back in time to the Wild, Wild West. The staff at the restaurant was very friendly and respectful; we could not have asked for a better pit stop during our journey.

Finally we made it to our first stop in downtown Austin, where we visited the LBJ Presidential Library. Lyndon Baines Johnson was the 36^th president of the United States. The museum was fascinating in that every aspect of his life was displayed. His greatest impact on the political system was the Great Society, as the legislation covered issues such as Medicare, Immigration Act, and voting rights. President Johnson impacted civil rights and worked directly with Martin Luther King Jr., while their movement continues to prevail today. Following an interesting eleven minute video…

The infrastructure of the library consisted of ten levels, some of which contained the presentation of the Whistle Stop Tour, The Oval Office, and The Tragedy and Transition of President Kennedy, as well as hundreds of thousands of documents related to his presidency.

Throughout the museum we observed many unique historical artifacts tied to LBJ and his family.

Along with these artifacts were audio recordings of LBJ’s phone calls, serving as perfect examples of the “Johnson Treatment”. Before departure, we stopped by the gift shop to purchase a souvenir to commemorate this portion of our Austin trip.

We rushed from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum and Library to arrive at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum about two hours before closing. Located just down the street from the Capitol Building, the Texas history museum welcomed us with much commotion as the staff prepared for one of the many inaugural celebrations. We navigated through the hustle and bustle to reach the main event, three floors of dense Texas history.

The first floor covered much of early Texas history, from the Native Americans that originally settled the Lone Star State to early Mexican conquests. From movies to interactive recordings, we learned of early colonial life and of the hardships that living on the land created. Strolling through each room, we journeyed through time to study the different Indian tribes that originally settled the land we now call Texas. From the Alabama-Coushatta tribe to the Cherokee people, it was evident that the “white man” took unabashedly what was not his to take. Both white settlers and Mexicans alike wronged the Native American people.

Leaving the first floor behind, we made our way upward to discover the history behind the Republic of Texas and later the State of Texas. Finding much information on our great former President and later Governor, the honorable Sam Houston, we studied mission life in Texas during the early 19^th century, when Texas was recognized as independent from Mexico, only after defeating Santa Anna at the 18 minute-long Battle of San Jacinto. This section of the museum particularly struck a chord in LEAP Center students, as Sam Houston stands as the namesake of our school.

We also saw a model of the intriguing “Goddess of Liberty,” the statue that sits atop the Texas Capitol. Up close, her features are exaggerated, even grotesque, but this is necessary to give definition to her features from hundreds of feet away, which is how she is typically viewed when atop the Capitol Building.

With just a few minutes to spare, we made it to the third floor. Here, we explored the more modern aspects of Texas history, like ranching, oil, rice, NASA, and woman’s rights. Interestingly enough, most Texans know of the ranching and oil history, but most do not understand the role of rice in the Texan economy and the national impact Texas made on woman’s rights. Rice fields added value to marshy lands in the Beaumont area, where many thought hope was lost to cultivate and prosper. Also, Texas was the first state in the South to adopt the 19^th amendment and give woman the right to vote. We finished exploring the third floor after quickly reading up on the Women Air force Service Pilots, who legally flew in the military during World War II, and perusing the exhibit about the place space exploration holds in Texas history.

We left the vast history museum after just barely quenching our thirst for knowledge and in search of the Driskill Hotel for a coffee pick-me-up. We were awed by the grace and majesty of the 5 star hotel. The selections on their menu were delectable to read, much less enjoy. After giving our multiple options much thought, we decided on things like caramel lattes and decadent chocolate cake. Some of us even indulged in The Driskill’s smooth and savory banana split. The architecture of the hotel complimented our afternoon snack perfectly, with ornate ceilings and plush floors.

While in Austin, we had the chance to network with fellow Sam students who are interning at the Capitol this legislative session. They met us on the corner of Lavaca Street to participate in a downtown Segway tour. What an exciting opportunity, to tour downtown Austin on a Segway, after such a history intensive day. Each LEAP Center adventurer was personally trained by an expert on how to maneuver a Segway. Although we all were coerced into wearing protective gear, that did not stop the fear of possible injury. Throughout the tour, we learned about the history of downtown Austin. We bore witness to the State Capitol…

…the Governor’s mansion, and many other historic buildings, such as the first ever “sky scraper” in downtown. After about 2 hours of dodging traffic, we finally mastered the skill of segwaying and headed to Fogo De Chao to soothe our aching stomachs.

For our group’s final savory food stop we dined at an all you can eat Brazilian steak house, Fogo de Chao, in downtown Austin. This restaurant was fine dining, quite a treat for everyone in attendance. Dinner began with a visit to the world class salad bar, consisting of many delectable salad ingredients. Once we finished our salads, we began the meat portion of the dinner. By showing a green or red card, we signaled to the wait staff whether we were ready for the next option. The green card caused all of the wait staff to ambush us with their signature cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and chicken. Once the cut was presented to us, we had the option of choosing the way the meat was cooked. Once we finished with the main course and had all of the meat that we wanted, it became time to choose which coffee and dessert met our fancy. The desert menu was just as overwhelming as the main course, but we handled ourselves appropriately and ordered cheesecake, crème brule, chocolate mousse cake, and papaya cream. Fogo De Chao defied all expectations and left us feeling stuffed beyond imagine.

And it was in that full and exhausted state that we retired to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s inauguration.

LEAP Center in Austin: Day 4

Our final day involved presentations by national figures from the campaign world as well as our own presentations of our hypothetical campaigns. Compared to previous years, Sunday’s day was longer, giving us more time to work on our campaigns and to present them to our panel of judges. To cap the weekend off, we were treated to a mini-job fair, with representatives from ten or so state campaigns on hand to accept applications.

Joycelyn—Our fourth day in Austin was filled with a mixture of emotions. Some of us were anxious about presenting our mock campaigns, a fact exacerbated by the fact that we had still work to do. We did, however, get up early, grabbed our most professional suits, and headed to the Belo Center for New Media.

The teams presented their proposed campaigns in different manners. My group went first, followed by Makeebba’s. My focus was on the finance and fundraising section of the campaign, while Makeebba discussed the dynamics of campaign messaging. (Jake and Lupe’s groups presented at a separate session, so I was not able to see them present.)

Following our presentations, we retired to a “reflection room,” where we shared experiences, goals, and tribulations, while also discussing people who had influenced us in the field of civic engagement.

At the end of the Campaign Bootcamp, awards were handed out to outstanding groups. Makeeba’s group won first place in overall presentation. Although I was not part of her groups, I was very glad she and her group were recognized. After all, I knew she had worked very hard. Lastly, we also had the opportunity to exchange business cards with campaign recruiters.

The Campaign Bootcamp was a wonderful opportunity to have hands-on experience in many aspects of the political campaign process. Over my four years at SHSU (I graduated in May) I learned an immense amount of information in class, but I’ve also learned extensively by practicing what has been taught to us.

Makeebba—Today’s session was pretty intense. Our first session over research, which was pretty interesting, but a difficult one for us given that we were focused on our presentations. Following lunch, we had additional time to prepare for our presentations.

We only had six members on our team (compared to other teams, which had eight), so we had a bit of double duty. But things came together about thirty minutes before “game time,” and things worked! Our team won! I was very pleased, and I learned a whole lot about not only campaigning, but also about life. I can apply these skills that I’ve learned to almost any job or to life situations.

Lupe—The last day of campaign bootcamp consisted of one last workshop over research, along with group presentations, followed by tips on job opportunities. At crunch time, we were given the scoop on how to find last-minute facts, data, and other information on the opponent.

We used a vast array of public sources to find information that could be useful to our candidate, and we spent about an hour to get with our group and put the final touches on our campaign.

Feeling confident about my team and our hard work we waited for our time to shine. Unfortunately we ran out of time during our presentation! Our team had an amazing introduction and opening segments, but they ran a bit long. Still, we received honorable mention for our field plan, and I was very proud of that.

Following presentations, our mentors gave us on tips on how to be involved and potential careers in campaigning. We also had a mini-job fair, with many campaign representatives present and advertising opportunities that were available.

I gained a wonderful experience of working in a team with strangers, putting aside our different views, and working together as a team.

All—It was a wonderful four-day program. It’s hard to believe that we began it on Thursday night by watching “The Foreigner,” and following it the next day with a tour of the Bob Bullock Museum. The three-days of presentations, hands-on learning, and exposure to students from across the state was a formative experience. It encouraged professional growth, broadened horizons, and provided a lot of fun!

LEAP Center in Austin: Day 3

Our third day in Austin was the busiest. We began the day at 8:30am and got back to the hotel a little before 11:00pm, spending the whole day in “Campaign Bootcamp.” Fortunately, the day flew by, filled with learning, hands-on activities, and group interaction—much like people involved in real campaigns. With so much to learn over such a long day, we each had our own favorites and lessons we took away.

Jake Rivera: One of the great things about the NPF Bootcamp is that all the speakers have specialties which they share with students over the course of the weekend, providing students with a comprehensive look at campaign work. Today was our busiest day, with about 11 hours of presentations followed by three hours of teamwork. Our primary mentor, Parag Mehta, taught us the importance of taking care of campaign volunteers.

On the other end of warm and fuzzy, Michael Beach taught us the importance of enhancing communications technology. Beach’s style, which is reserved, may be a little less captivating to some of the students, but the substance of what he said was enormously important and, to me, very interesting.

In reflecting on his concepts, it’s easy to see why his consulting firm is successful. Rounding out the day were seminars on fundraising, earned and paid media, social media, voter contact, and political pitches.

One of the things that dawns on you as you move through a program like this is that, in addition to learning the content of the seminars, you are also acquiring skills, especially in the hands-on section. Fundraising is about communication skills and persuasion; working with volunteers is about organization and management; polling is about research and statistics; and cutting across all of these topics is the skill of teamwork.

Of course, we had some of these skills and, in fact, the four of us—me, Joycelyn, Makeebba, and Lupe—came here as a team. Ironically, by working with other teams in Austin, we’ll return to SHSU as an even more effective team.

Lupe Cuellar: There were so many fascinating topics and captivating presenters today that deciding on a favorite could be difficult. For me, however, Ms. Liz Chadderdon stood out as a favorite. Her topic was “messaging” and her style was energetic, engaging, and heavy on opinions. She was passionate about her topic, and it came through as she detailed specific strategies for communicating directly to voters (go for mail!).

My team, which consists of one high school and several college students, has diverse political beliefs. We’ve turned this diversity into a strength, however, incorporating multiple ideas and strategies into a cohesive strategy. I’m hoping it will carry us to victory on mock-election day, tomorrow.

Makeebba Deterville: We had seven speakers today over about eleven hours. It made for a long day, but it also made for a wonderful learning opportunity. Whether it was Parag Mehta discussing campaign volunteers…

…or Michael Beach discussing communications, we got inside the machinery of a successful campaign. The most interesting to me, however, was Liz Chadderdon, who spoke about crafting a campaign message that motivated sufficient voters to win a campaign. She has a unique style, sometimes cursing, occasionally screaming, and always passionate.

At the end of the evening, we broke into our groups and worked on our own campaigns. Although we spent three hours working in a group, it’s not enough time to put together a winning campaign, so I’ll need to turn from the blog and focus on the final touches of our campaign.

Joycelyn Ovalle: The New Politics Forum campaign bootcamp is all about learning—from the importance of volunteers, to crafting a message, to targeting voters, to polling…

…and there is no doubt that by the end of the day our brains were full of significant strategies and knowledge. But the Bootcamp is designed to go beyond filling your head with knowledge; the NPF staff also asks us to put those ideas into action, to apply our knowledge. Accordingly, we followed our many seminars with a three-hour session of teamwork, assisted by our mentors: Luke Marchant, Parag Mehta, and Pasha Moore.

They helped us crunch numbers, finesse strategies, craft messages, target specific demographics, and improve our campaign skills.

The venue for this event was the Belo Center for New Media on the University of Texas’s campus. It’s a large venue, giving campaign groups to move around and settle in different areas. But many of the groups interacted or were sufficiently close such that the conversations trespassed group boundaries. This allowed me to observe how the groups worked together, how they listed to one another and strategized. The teamwork was impressive. If congress could work like that, we would all be very fortunate!
Overall, the day was intense and rewarding, allowing us to learn, apply, observe, and reflect—education at its finest!

LEAP Center Students Keep Austin Fun

To round out the weekend of legislators and legacies, we started at the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum. The Library is located on the grounds of the University of Texas at Austin, a scant distance from the Texas capitol, an appropriate sort of geographical as well as biographical tribute to a Texas politician and 36^th President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson.

LBJ Library & Museum — Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum

The Library “reopened” in late December 2012 following a yearlong renovation effort, and that effort paid off in terms of developing a contemporary look and feel for a large slice of Texas and US history.

The exhibits have been updated, modernized, and expanded to highlight more of LBJ’s presidency, particularizing on timely issues. One favorite new item was the “display” of several of LBJ’s private phone conversations the President – phones were interspersed through multiple exhibits, inviting visitors to “please hold for the President,” to listen in on conversations with anyone from other legislators to the press, pertinent to the exhibits. There were several theaters for short films…

dozens of pens used by LBJ to sign bills into law;

LEAP Center Students & LBJ's Pens — LEAP Center Students & LBJ’s Pens

a talking LBJ mannequin;

Jessica and Lyndon Johnson — Jessica Rodriguez and Lyndon Johnson

the Oval Office…

and a favorite for poses: a cardboard LBJ giving the “Johnson Treatment.”

Ryan Brim & LBJ — Ryan Brim & Lyndon Johnson

One small difference, discovered at the front door, is that the LBJ is no longer a free museum. However, the low cost of admission was well worth the updated exhibits. Even if you’ve been before, is definitely worth a return trip.

After several hours wandering the Library, we headed back to Huntsville, via the northern route, in order to stop for a late lunch at Meyer’s Texas BBQ in Elgin, Texas. Despite being a large group, there wasn’t a lot of talking until we had all wrapped up our lunches, which everyone agreed was well worth the wait.

It was a long weekend of touring the capitol, meeting with and getting an in-depth glimpse of a legislative office’s inner workings, touring LBJ’s multiple shrines, and experiencing Austin in a whole new way. But for the students, who range from graduating this May to just starting this year, it was an experience they agreed they won’t forget. During the return trip, we usually recap the excursion’s events and discuss lessons learned and favorite stops and sights, and this trip was no exception. For our regular readers, though, we thought that with eight students, compiling one list seemed an efficient way to present favorites:

Favorite Restaurants:

Fogo de Chao: “Wow. So much food.”
Frank & Angie’s: “We’re not vegetarians, but we really loved the vegetarian pizza. Definitely worth a trip back someday.”
Meyers BBQ (Elgin): The BBQ, especially the pulled pork, was a hit, but the banana pudding “took the cake.”

Favorite Sculptures:

There were many options from which to choose, but the figures made from aluminum were a big hit. The fact that Benini made them using his tractor probably added to the mystique and attractiveness.

Favorite Destinations:

Capitol Hill Workshops: “It was really eye-opening – the work that goes into running a legislature. And we appreciate the Hill staffers who took so much time to really explain things to us.”

House Parliamentarian, Chris Giesel — House Parliamentarian, Chris Griesel

Benini Sculpture Ranch: “Spending time with the artist was amazing. He shared so much with us.”

LBJ Presidential Library: For many of the students, their first trip to a presidential library.

Favorite “Non-Art” Artifacts or Exhibits:

The Johnson Treatment Audio Tapes: The photo backdrop in the LBJ Library gift shop was almost as big a hit as the audio tapes found throughout the museum.

Dulce and The Johnson Treatment — Dulce &The Johnson Treatment

The pens LBJ used to sign bills into law: The Great Society to be furthered by the next generation…

The Johnsons’ bedrooms: The Johnsons’ clothes of the day and closet space in the Texas White House was the point of much speculation.

It was a great trip. We had the chance to meet legislative staff and expand our networks; meet a very interesting artist; sample some good food; do a Segway Tour of Austin; and meet with SHSU alumni. We can’t wait for the next trip.

LEAP Center Students Explore the Hill Country

Joycelyn Ovalle–On Saturday morning we met up with SHSU alum Will Phillips, a former Junior Fellow and POLS graduate, and headed to Johnson City, the home of former president Lyndon Baines Johnson. Our first stop was his humble, yet peculiar, “Boyhood Home”. We were guided through the home by a National Park Ranger, who offered insightful tales of LBJ as a boy. When the future President was in middle school, for example, he was referred to as “First Base Johnson” for his baseball skills, but he didn’t really enjoy baseball.

He played to make contacts, a political player more than a sports fan. He followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a local politician. The two of them would often go to the Texas Capitol together and, by the age of 11, LBJ was claiming he would one day be President. He was correct.

As President, Johnson often referred to himself as the son of a “poor dirt tenant farmer,” but his childhood home suggests otherwise. The family owned a telephone and a gas stove, items that weren’t in many early twentieth century homes. As we continued to explore the works of President LBJ, we moved away from his “Boyhood Home” and transferred into the home of the president – “The Texas White House”. We made a stop at the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Historic Park and we spent our afternoon enjoying the weather, admiring his ranch, and learning about his works as a president and his last days as a Texan. The Johnson’s residence was filled with historical artifacts and well preserved personal items.

From his flamboyant convertibles to his shoes and shorts, there is no doubt that “The Texas White House” truly resembled President LBJ.

It was extensive and distinguishable from the outside, but welcoming and refined from the inside. Another note worthy artifact was a framed letter hanging in the Johnson’s living room. As Bearkats, everyone wanted to see it, particularly because it was sent from our hero, Sam Houston and was written from Huntsville, Texas in 1838.

After building up hunger from the walk around the LBJ Ranch, we stopped at a popular Johnson City restaurant in the heart of town called the East Main Grill. It is an exquisite southern restaurant providing delicious arrays of soup, salads, and sandwiches. While all of the food items sound fantastic, there was definitely one that stood out from the rest. The Ultimate Grill Cheese sandwich consisted of fresh apples, tomatoes, swiss, cheddar, and gorgonzola cheese. Only a few students were smart enough to try it, and they were not disappointed.

Following lunch, we made our way down to the Benini Studio and Sculpture Ranch, which is owned by the Italian artist Benini. Driving through the Hill Country of Texas, you could not help but appreciate the natural brush terrain it’s known for. Sculptures are placed throughout the property, and they become more elaborate as you approach his studio. While the sculptures were impressive, Benini is best known for his painting. His ability to blend colors to create depth and shades without the use of an airbrush is what sets him apart from his contemporaries, and it was a pleasure (and an adventure) to meet and explore the mind of Benini.

He talked about his childhood growing up in Italy during a time of turmoil. With political unrest, war, and problems with his father, Benini began to copy things, and this turned into his art. He spoke freely about his life experiences and gave us a tour of his studio, the place where he imagines and creates his pieces of art.

Benini's Work Shoes — Benini’s Work Shoes

It was a rare experience, and we were all appreciative of the opportunity and the ability to not only see his art, but to learn more about it and the processes he used to create it.

But the art did not end at his gallery; his whole ranch was filled with trails leading to different sculptures, a hand cropping out of the hillside; a massive drum set (with drums!) beside a pond; a glass figure looking over the beautiful hill country. It was an intriguing and educational afternoon.

Our evening events concluded with a night out under the Austin sky. The Leap Students ventured on a haunted Segway tour in downtown Austin. We had the opportunity to ride around the Texas State Capital, through the streets of downtown Austin and various city attractions. Our group had to quickly learn how to master the Segway, learn how to go up and down hills and most importantly how to brake! Throughout the tour the guide told 3 ghost stories based off of local downtown buildings. The first was told at The Driskill, which the guide said is “the fifth most haunted building in America”. The second story was told near the Speak Easy, and was a tale of two young girls who died in an elevator. The last story was told at the west wing of the Texas State Capital, where it is said a former governor shot his wife and her ghost haunts the apartment in the capital. The Segway Tour was both fun and educational as well as a neat way to view Austin.

LEAP Center Students at the Capitol — SHSU Students at the Capitol

The final stop of our night was at Kerbey Lane Café. We met up with Sam Houston State Alumni Blake Roach, who is living in Austin and works for Attorney General Gregg Abbot. The Leap Students had the opportunity to both pick his brain about his successes while enjoying a wonderful meal.

LEAP Center Students Explore LBJ Homes, Art, Austin

Ashley Richardson and Constance Gabel–Our second full day in Austin tackled three large subjects: LBJ, Arts, and Austin which are somewhat connected. Joining us for this trifecta was Will Phillips, an SHSU alum from Austin, who had been to some of these stops previously.

Our first stop included the LBJ boyhood home and the LBJ Ranch, giving us insight into the more private life of the former President. At the boyhood home, a modest-sized structure (but large for the time), we heard how LBJ would sneak out his window, crawl under the house, and sit beneath the room that his father and other local politicos would gather in to discuss politics. LBJ’s political ways—and his subterfuge—began at an early age.

Coby and Jessica on the Porch of LBJ's Boyhood Home — Coby & Jessica on the LBJ’s Porch

The LBJ Ranch, or the “Texas White House,” was a snapshot of a different era. The home, clearly ruled by Lady Bird, was just as she left it, from the yellow Formica counter tops to LBJ’s three televisions (one for each network), to Lady Bird’s closet, which was filled with pantsuits of green and other unlikely colors. We toured the home, amazed by the preservation.

We also saw the Johnson family grave site which includes the graves of LBJ and Lady Bird and the “Air Force One Half,” the smaller version of Air Force One, which LBJ used to travel between the ranch and the DC White House.

One of the things we learned at the LBJ venues was his support for the arts, particularly inhis creation of the National Endowment for the Arts. In that spirit, we piled into the van and navigated the Hill Country to the Benini Sculpture Ranch. Unbeknownst to us, Professor Yawn set up a chance to meet the artist, who gave us access to his inner sanctum—a private tour of his studio—as well as an earful of his beliefs on politics, religion, and sex, all offered without much prompting.

The conversation, as well as the man’s art, was thought provoking and eye opening.

We each had favorite pieces from the tour. For Constance, it was Andante….

For Ashley, there were two: the Heartcatcher and the Stars Giver.

Heartcatcher

Stars Catcher

And lots of other works:

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On a larger scale, both LBJ and the arts are part of the Austin scene. The LBJ Presidential Library is located in Austin and the arts are everywhere, in the form of architecture, public art, music, and private galleries. We had the chance to explore some of those on a night-time Segway Tour that lasted some 2.5 hours.

Ashley and Jacqueline and Capitol Building — Ashley & Jacqueline at Capitol

We capped off the night at Kerby Lane Café, where we met with Blake Roach, an SHSU alum who now works for Attorney General Greg Abbott. The food was good, the conversation was nice, and we were able to warm up before resting up for tomorrow, our last day in Austin.

Day One: Austin Legislature

Our first day of whirlwind activities in Austin began with a tour of the Capitol building, exploring the Senate Gallery, and viewing the portraits of Texas governors.

LEAP Center Students with Elizabet Ney's Sculpture of Sam Houston — LEAP Students with Ney’s Sam Houston Sculpture

The highlights of the day, however, involved meeting the legislative staff. Our first meeting was with Senator Schwertner’s Staff: Chief of Staff Tom Holloway and Leah Alexander, the District Director. We learned what happens in a Senator’s Office, the need to be responsive to constituent concerns, and what responding entails. More to our immediate interest, we learned what is expected of legislative interns: a good attitude, initiative, and strong communication skills.

Leah Alexander Presents to LEAP Students

Following our meeting, we hopped over to Frank and Angie’s, where we had some delicious pizza and the opportunity to meet Brian King, a legislative intern with Representative Senfronia Thompson’s Office.

Brian King at Work — Brian King at work in Rep. Thompson’s Office

After lunch, we returned to the Capitol, where we had class in the House Chamber! The class was “taught” by Nikki Cobb (Chief of Staff for Representative John Otto) and Chris Griesel (House Parliamentarian). Our desks were the desks of the legislators, and the curriculum involved a step-by-step overview of the legislative process. An emphasis was placed on the need for cooperation which, in turn, depends on trust. And trust, of course, depends on members acting in good faith and keeping their word. Ms. Cobb also provided essential information, describing some of the work off the floor, how to mediate conflict, and an inspirational discussion of her career, which began as an intern and evolved over the years to Chief of Staff.

Our last Capitol stop was in Representative Thompson’s office, where we met Todd Kercheval, an SHSU alum turned legislative aide, turned executive branch employee, turned lobbyist. He stressed the importance of selecting a job you enjoy and that offers rewards, finding a mentor, and building relationships.

Our day ended on a high note, with dinner at Fogo de Chao. The food was wonderful, although there is little doubt we ate too much. We tried to walk it off with a brief stroll around 6^th street, where we saw a bit of the much-discussed Austin night life before returning home, and resting up for another big day tomorrow.

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