Mary Goldmeer had a plan. They would graduate in December—journalism major, English minor with a certificate in professional communication—do the Arizona Legislative Internship Program in the spring, then return to NAU for graduate school.
Then the internship led to a dream job, the semester of grad credits from the internship went into the bank for later and Goldmeer became a full-time newspaper reporter in the Valley.
It was a good internship, one that could open up all sorts of opportunities. Goldmeer, the only NAU student selected to participate in the 2024 program, talked to The NAU Review about their experiences at the legislature.
Interested in applying? Learn more online. The deadline for the spring internship is 5 p.m. Sept. 20.
Why did you want to do the legislative internship? Where did you work?
I worked with the Arizona House of Representatives as a policy intern who was focused on communications. I applied for the role because I wanted an inside look at how state government worked, and I wanted practice processing legal documents for everyday people to understand. I was encouraged to apply by comms professor Martin Sommerness, who really planted the seed about gaining policy and political knowledge while making professional connections.
What did the average day look like? If there wasn’t an average day, what were some of the tasks that you did?
My job was unique as I was the only communications intern for the House or Senate in either political party. As a comms intern I was tasked with attending press conferences, managing social media accounts, writing a weekly newsletter and attending as many public meetings as possible to communicate the whole view of capital life to constituents.
I worked alongside amazing peers focused on policy who had a more typical experience. They were tasked with breaking down legislation for the elected officials to understand. This means identifying changes, speaking with stakeholders and presenting the whole vision of bills to the committees they worked with.
Days could be long, but the work was rewarding.
Are there any experiences that really stood out?
I was able to witness historical moments each day I showed up to work—protests, demonstrations and bill passages that determine what rights Arizonans have. It was overwhelming and heavy at times, but it put this big distant idea of “government” into a very human perspective, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
What was the hardest part? What was your favorite part?
The hardest part for me was learning to be OK with not knowing. As an intern, you will be in over your head and will be working for and with experts in specialized legislative fields. That’s also the beauty of it; these people are there to coach you through your learning process and to set you up for career success beyond your five-month internship even if you are not heading to law school.
What advice would you give students considering applying for the internship?
- Be honest with yourself and with interviewers about your motivations to apply.
- Use NAU’s Career Center services to set yourself and your application up for success.
- Be ready to start working a corporate culture and schedule. You’ll be working an 8-5 job with overtime, you’ll be dressed very professionally and you’ll need to know and respect all of the names, titles and faces you run into on Capitol grounds.
- Give yourself some grace. The application process is competitive, and representing NAU even through a submission is something to be proud of.