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Student Spotlights

Jeremy Anderson: Educational Leadership

Jeremy interned for Utah Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel during Winter Semester 2022.

I had the wonderful opportunity to work personally with Representative Susan Pulsipher during the Utah legislative session. Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, Jeremy Anderson, Representative Susan Pulsipher, Governor Spencer Cox

Describe a day in your life as an intern.

I arrived early at the Utah state capitol and prepared documents for my legislators committee meetings, coordinated the appointments with constituents and lobbyists, and sorted emails. I worked for Representative Pulsipher. When she was in a meeting, I was there with her. When she was voting on the house floor I watched the debate and noted bills that might be of interest to her constituents. After she met with lobbyists, constituents, or other lawmakers I served as a sounding board for her thoughts about what was going on and the best way to respond to each situation. I spent considerable time making sure she had a document in front of her with every vote request (yea or nay) that came specifically from a constituent living in her district. I also spent a good amount of time coordinating her schedule and helping make sure she made it to each appointment she committed to.

What industry/job specific skills did you learn?

Excel. Navigating competing organizational and personal goals and values. Multi-task and stay organized in a fast paced and changing environment.

What are three things that you learned from this experience that could be applied to other settings?

Task prioritization (how to juggle - do the most important things first and don't sweat the rest), how to approach controversial topics with both tact and honesty, leadership starts with listening

What was your favorite part of your internship?

Interacting with students who came to tour the capitol during the legislative session

How did this experience affect your future goals?

I had the goal of running for public office someday. This internship made me realize that "someday" needs to be now. I am currently a candidate for my local school board.

How did you get your internship?

I found out about the internship through signs posted on campus. Next I visited the office of the department which was hosting the internship to inquire about applying. I followed their application process and was selected to participate.

My favorite part of the internship was interacting with students. This was an opportunity I had to speak briefly to students gathered at the state capitol during the session.