Internships – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

City Fellows: LEAP Offers a New Type of Internship Program

In the fall, summer, and spring, the LEAP Center opens up internship opportunities to all SHSU students. These internships are paid, come with a modest scholarship, and provide unique professional development opportunities.

The program is called “City Fellows,” because students are placed primarily–but not exclusively–with the City of Huntsville. The students may work for Huntsville Main Street, the Wynne Home Arts and Visitors Center, Economic Development, Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Development Services, the Huntsville Public Library, or in the non-profit sector, with organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, CASA of Walker County, the Old Town Theatre, or the like.

Students can earn anywhere from 3-6 hours of academic credit in these positions, while also working on a project-based job. Examples may include helping to plan Scare on the Square, assist with a hiring fair, developing a marketing plan for an office, or putting together a fundraising plan.

Moreover, students have the opportunity for extensive learning. Not only do students learn on the job, but a couple of times a month, they engage in professional development activities. Over the course of the semester, these include (1) leading a tour of their work environments and discussing their class project…

(2) going on a tour of Eastham-Thomason Park to learn about the environment and tax base;…

(3) touring the Huntsville Police Department…

(4) learning Parliamentary Procedures…(5) volunteering in the community…and

(6) presenting to community officials about their work.

The program is designed to meet real needs in the community, while also allowing students to develop needed skills for their own careers and the workforce more generally.

The program begins accepting applications on April 1 for the summer; August 1 for the fall; and November 1 for the spring. Students can learn more here. Government offices, non-profits, or law firms can contact Professor Mike Yawn at mike.yawn@shsu.edu.

Training for the Future: The Austin Internship Program

Every two years, the LEAP Center selects approximately ten students to work in the legislature as part of our Sam Houston Austin Internship Program. The program has been very successful thus far (editor knocks on wood), and one of the reasons is that SHSU provides many staff persons to support us through orientation and training. This year was no different.

We gathered with three SHSU staff members from various fields: Heather Varela, from Human Resources; Julie Schwab from Academic Affairs; and Vinessa Mundorff from Career Services.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Internships, Julie Schwab, Vinessa Mundorff, Heather Varela

The three women were generous with their time and offered much in the way of excellent advice.

VInessa Mundorff offered numerous tips (including photos) on professional attire, buying affordable and professional clothes, and overall professional appearance.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Internships, Julie Schwab, Vinessa Mundorff, Heather Varela

Julie Schwab offered numerous tips on our behavior, particularly with ways to be confident in our comportment and belief system. She began by telling us that we belong, and that we wouldn’t be in this position if people weren’t confident in us. This was particularly helpful to those of us who were questioning our own abilities. She also offered tips for dealing with pushy people who might dismiss us for our gender, age, or “intern” status, something she dealt with as an auditor at TDCJ while she was still in college. Interestingly, she emphasized our nonverbal communication in asserting ourselves, encouraging us to visually engage people in meetings, to stay off our phones, use good posture, and other tips.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Internships, Julie Schwab, Vinessa Mundorff, Heather Varela

Heather Varela primarily spoke to Title IX issues, problems that might arise in the area of sexual harassment. She explained the law to us, discussed University policy, and also indicated that we should report any behavior–particularly if it happened more than once–that was inappropriate.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Internships, Julie Schwab, Vinessa Mundorff, Heather Varela

Of course, the panelists’ discussions bled over into other areas, and they all provided good insight into appropriate behavior at social events, while on the phone, around the office, and even outside the office.

Most importantly, they gave us encouragement and provided us with a new way to look at and assess our behavior, while also demonstrating that many staff at SHSU care about our success.

SHSU, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Internships, Julie Schwab, Vinessa Mundorff, Heather Varela

As we’ve discovered in the first month of the internship, we receive a lot more support in our internship program, and many more opportunities than most of the other programs in Texas, and for that we are very grateful. Thank you Ms. Mundorff, Ms. Schwab, and Ms. Varela!

Austin and Internships

The Texas legislature only meets once every two years, and some feel that “no man or beast is safe when the legislature is in session.” But for a select group of SHSU students, the legislative session poses the opportunity for a Sam Houston Austin Internship.

Day 1:

Thus it was that five students embarked to Austin early this week, with the hopes of landing an internship in a legislative office. The students were some of the 30-plus students who applied for the SHAIP Internships, and approximately half of those selected to interview in Austin.

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships

In all ten students were selected to interview with eleven offices. Two of these students have already been placed; three more are coming later this week; and the five of us are hoping for the best.

Our schedule is grueling but rewarding: up before 6am, dressed in suits, and a schedule of four interviews, each lasting two hours. It was a day of stress, but you wouldn’t know by the happy smiles we wore as we arrived at the Texas Capitol…

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships

The end to the day’s interviews brought on a sense of contentment and relief, and we were smiled up again as we toured the Capitol building.

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships

As the afternoon gave way to the evening, we met with SHAIP alumni (Christina Perez and Ariel Leaf) at The Clay Pit for a fabulous dinner. For most of us, it was the first time to try various dishes…

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…but we did a great job of coming close to finishing things and being adventurous. And we also tried to wisely use our time with Christina and Ariel; learning as much about the process as possible. By the end of the evening, we felt more comfortable about the internship logistics and also felt we had made new friends!

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships

With additional interviews scheduled for the next day, we returned to the hotel, prepared to study and sleep.

Day 2:

The second day was a bit more eventful. There were fewer interviews, so the students with the later interviews had the special opportunity to tour the Texas State University System’s new headquarters in O. Henry Hall.

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships, TSUS, O Henry Hall

The building is beautiful! Built between 1877-1881, the structure was designed by architect James Hill–whose work is notably diverse–and he managed to make this a unique structure in the City of Austin. Construction occurred under the supervision of Abner Cook, who also designed the Governor’s Mansion and was the Director of TDCJ during its early years. It was designed as a courthouse and post office.

Its name derives from the fact that O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) was tried in this building in 1898 for embezzlement. O’Henry was convicted, and he spent time in jail. But today the building, his nearby home, and dozens of short story extend his legacy.

The building’s interior is as impressive as its exterior. With Vice-Chancellor Sean Cunningham as a tour guide…

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships, TSUS, O Henry Hall, Sean Cunningham

…we had many chances to explore.

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships, TSUS, O Henry Hall

A highlight was meeting many of the staff, such as Candice Woodruff, Pierce Mitchell, and Chancellor Brian McCall. Indeed, Cunningham and McCall agreed to a photo with us, and two of us had the chance to stand with replicas of Sam Houston’s cane!

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships, TSUS, O Henry Hall

The tour was informative and enlightening, and it helped us feel more a part of a larger process. It was also a great way to occupy our minds while our afternoon interviews awaited. We were grateful that the TSUS office thought of us, and appreciative we were at a University and a System where students can receive this type of support.

The afternoon brought an end to our interviews, and we headed back to Huntsville. A final wave of students will interview later this week, and placements should be made over the weekend or, at the latest, Monday. Until then, we will be grateful for the opportunity and reflect on all that we have learned and experienced!

SHSU, LEAP, LEAP Center, LEAP Ambassadors, SHAIP, Austin Texas, ATX, Internships, TSUS, O Henry Hall

Austin Interns End Session on High Note

Following five months in Austin, the eight participants in Sam Houston State University’s Austin Internship program approached their final day of work with bittersweet feelings.

While the end of the session meant a welcome relief from the 140-day legislative session and long work hours, it also meant leaving recently-formed friendships, expanded professional networks, and the adrenaline high of working under public pressure.

Sadie Mclaughlin, for instance, filled the semester with procedural work, assisting constituents and helping keep the schedule for Rep. John Otto, chairman of the appropriations committee.

For Ariel Traub, the end of the session brought resolution to the bills on which she worked, including one pertaining to court costs that failed, and another that streamlined the application process for job seekers, which passed.

Sadie McLaughlin

Intern Sadie McLaughlin filled her internship semester by assisting
constituents and helping keep the schedule for Rep. John Otto.

Their final day, however, turned out to be more sweet than bitter, involving a meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott and receiving recognition from the House floor.

Austin Interns with Governor Abbott

“That was a nice way to end the internship,” said Guadalupe Cuellar, who interned for Rep. Will Metcalf. “We weren’t expecting that.”

The meeting was arranged after members of the governor’s staff contacted Mike Yawn, AIP director, asking for a meeting to “thank the interns for their work this session.”

“I don’t like to speak for the interns,” Yawn said, “but this seemed like a pretty easy decision.”

The meeting was brief, with Abbott asking about SHSU, the interns’ work over the session, their offices, and other small talk. It ended with a photograph and the governor thanking the students for their work.

Although the students would have liked to linger in the governor’s reception room, they had other places to be. Reps. John Otto and Armando Martinez had scheduled a recognition of the interns from the House floor, and the students made haste to the House gallery.

Describing the interns as “noteworthy Texans,” the resolution thanked the students for their “outstanding service” and for capably handling their “important responsibilities” with “skill and dedication.”

Otto, whose district includes SHSU, commended the university for its “wonderful” work with the internships and recognized each student from the House floor for a job well done.

Hours later, their jobs ended with the formal close of the 84th legislative session—but not before Abbott signed into law the bill streamlining the process of applying for government jobs, a final victory for Traub and the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Charles Schwertner.

But the real victory for the students was laying the foundation for a promising future, according to Yawn.

Shelby O’Brien was hired as Rep. Todd Hunter’s district scheduler in Corpus Christi; Traub accepted a position as field representative for Congressman Kevin Brady; Oscar Aguilar was offered several campaign jobs and is mulling over the one for which he would like to work; and Jessica Rodriguez is headed to Chicago to attend DePaul Law School this fall.

“This is a great foundation to build on,” McLaughlin said. “I can’t wait to see what happens next.”