Marshall students intern at state legislature

rsity students joined internship programs at the West Virginia State Legislature for the 2012 session.  

The state legislature offers six internship programs to college students across West Virginia.  Marshall sent students to five of the programs.  One graduate student is a Robert W. Burke intern, two graduates are Walter Rollins Scholars, three Marshall students are Legislative Information Journalism interns, five students are Judith A. Herndon Fellows and eight students are Frasure Singleton interns. Internship faculty sponsor, Mary Beth Beller said the amount of interns from Marshall is impressive.  

"There are only 10 positions available for the Herndon Fellowship," Beller said. "The fact that Marshall has sent five is nothing short of amazing."

The Judith Herndon Fellowship and Frasure-Singleton Internship programs are open to students of any major.  Beller said even though this year most students Marshall sent are liberal arts majors, she encourages all students to apply.

"Legislation affects everyone, whether you're a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer," Beller said. "It's important for anybody, regardless of their career field, to see how the legislative process works."

Senior criminal justice Delegate Tiffany Lawrence of Jefferson County and then will work at a state agency.  Smith said his internship requires long, but rewarding hours.

"The day starts at 9 a.m., is pretty much a mad dash from meeting to meeting and ends at 7 p.m.," Smith said. "Even though it's stressful, I'm getting a richer education than one out of a textbook."

Smith said his internship helps him prepare for law school.

"I'm interested in legal studies, so I'm going to deal with how laws are practiced," Smith said. "This internship gives me a different angle to law because I get to see how they are made, how lawmakers tackle policy decisions and how statutes are interpreted."

Sophomore history major Katie Wright, 20, of Huntington, is a Frasure-Singleton scholar.  Her internship will last one week and begins in mid-February.  Wright said she thinks her internship will broaden her network should she decide to pursue a career in law.

"This particular internship will help me foster connections at the state capital," Wright said. "By giving me experience with lawmakers, I can have more opportunities down the road."

The legislative session began Jan. 11 and ends on March 10.  

Henry Culvyhouse can be contacted at culvyhouse@marshall.edu.