By Andrea DeHaan, CHaSS Communications Editor
CHaSS student Chase Harward worked with USU's Institute of Government and Politics to intern with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Utah legislative session is underway for 2023, and 16 Utah State University students are there to lend a hand.
USU’s Institute of Government and Politics (IOGP) helped a total of 20 students from across the university secure internships in Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C. this spring, and all but four of them have connections to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHaSS).
Founded in 2011 to help students understand the role of government in society, the IOGP facilitates local, national, and international internships by assisting students with the application process and connecting them with legislators and governmental entities, as well as private and nongovernmental organizations that have come to value the preparation and determination that Aggies bring to the table.
“Internships are a great way for students to connect their classroom knowledge to real-world experience,” said IOGP Director Shannon Peterson. “Our internships in Washington D.C. and in Salt Lake City are open to students of all majors and have a proven track record of providing interns with endless job opportunities in all sorts of substantive issue areas.”
This spring’s interns come from multiple disciplines, including journalism, sociology, and English, though the majority, unsurprisingly, are majors within the Political Science Department. They are working for congressional representatives and committees as well as state senators, representatives, and government offices. However, since the IOGP works actively with alumni, internship opportunities are also available in the nonprofit and private sectors.
Senior Chase Harward, who studies political science and economics, is interning with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) in Washington, while junior Maggie Mace, an international studies major, is assigned to a fellowship within the Utah Governor’s Office to track legislative bills tied to education.
“Interning for the Foreign Relations Committee has been a top-notch opportunity to learn about and observe the day-to-day dynamics of how Congress shapes our nation’s foreign policy, which is exactly what I hoped I’d get out of my time here,” said Harward.
Harward’s internship has already seen him “prepare briefing materials for high-level hearings related to Ukraine and China, ‘set the table’ in the historic SFRC Committee Room for a visit from the King of Jordan, and contribute to the research efforts of the committee’s policy analysts.”
IOGP spring 2023 interns from CHaSS:
The IOGP is currently accepting applications for fall internships. Students are encouraged to apply before Feb. 25, 2023. CHaSS students doing an internship can receive academic credit for this experience through our IOGP. Students wishing to receive financial support for their experience can also apply for scholarships through the IOGP and the CHaSS Experiential Learning Fund.
“Aside from the academic and professional benefits of internships, the best reason to do an internship is to better know yourself” Peterson, who is also a CHaSS alum, said. “Internships give students a taste of the real world after college. There is no better time to figure out what you like and do not like, as well as what your strengths and weaknesses are, than while you are still in school.”
Harward agrees. “Owing to the support I’ve received from Utah State’s IOGP — for which I am very grateful — and the wonderful SFRC staff, this has been and continues to be an experience that I will remember forever.”
For more information and to apply, contact IOGP Internship Coordinator Lisa Anderson, at lisa.anderson@usu.edu, or visit: https://www.usu.edu/iogp/apply
15 undergraduate English students from Logan, Vernal, and Ephraim campuses presented at the 100th Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society Convention and won awards in three categories.
5 Questions for a CHaSS Grad highlights the awesome things our alumni go on to do. Meet Kat Webb, content director for the Aspire NSF Engineering Research Center on USU’s Innovation campus. When not working, Kat can be found playing soccer with her son, u...
