Canadian Parliament Internship

On May 12, 2017, I moved to Ottawa to begin my five weeks interning with a member of the Canadian House of Commons. While there, I had the incredible fortune of working in the office of the Honourable Don Davies. As an intern, I got to conduct research on federal health policy, analyze election results, write parliamentary statements, and correspond with constituents.

The most impactful part of my time in Ottawa was the confidence that I gained. Going into my internship, I was struggling to create a concrete career goal. While I had interned at the Ohio Statehouse earlier in the year, I was still having a very difficult time imagining myself working a 9-5 job and enjoying it. I had changed majors during my freshman year, leaving behind my pre-medicine track, and everything that I had originally planned for myself. Throughout my sophomore year, I really worked on getting my bearings in my new public affairs major in addition to my public health major. I knew that I wanted to eventually work in civil service. Yet, I still struggled throughout the year to feel confident in this new path. My experiences and the passion that I found I had for the work I was doing reassured me that I am moving in the correct direction.

My work, the people I worked with, and the beautiful city of Ottawa all had a huge impact on me in finding my confidence. There was a “jack of all trades” aspect of the work I was doing. This was especially true of my research. Mr. Davies is the New Democratic Party’s Critic for Health for the the first session of the 42nd Parliament. Consequently, Mr. Davies represented his party on the Standing Committee for Health. Throughout my time in Ottawa, I did much of the background research preparing for these committee meetings. This allowed me to gain a breadth of working knowledge on a wide variety of issues. These ranged from Lyme disease to antimicrobial resistance. It required that I understand Canadian law and regulations related to these topics and present my research in a concise manner. I found that I love digging into new material. It was incredibly gratifying to see the way that my research was translating into potential new policies that could positively impact the health of Canadians.

Throughout my time on Parliament Hill, I met incredible people. The passion for pubic service that I saw astounded me. Not only did I enjoy working with my mentors and supervisors, I found a home in my office. It may have only been five weeks, but I learned how to build strong professional relationships quickly. This paid off. It allowed those in my office to trust me with important work. Throughout my time as an intern, I regularly received high praises from those that I worked with. This reinforced the confidence that I was already gaining from my love of my work.

Finally, Ottawa, with its history and sights, provided me with a new home. The combination of an incredibly positive and productive work environment with a city that I quickly grew to love allowed me to thrive.  Ottawa gave me the chance to explore, giving me an extra boost of confidence and reminding me of my love for new places.

 

This experience was an incredible new chapter for me. Already, it has motivated me to apply for a new internship for the coming semester, working on a local politician’s reelection campaign. It has give me the knowledge that I am gathering the skills necessary to succeed in the work that I hope to do. Finally, it has given me the confidence to continue to pursue my goal of working in civil service.

Sophomore Year Refection – Part 1

Chapter 2 – New Beginnings

Going into my sophomore year, I didn’t know what to think. I knew that it wouldn’t be the same as freshman year, but I never could have expected what Autumn 2016 would hold.

The first new beginning was my internship with the Senate Minority Caucus. For years I had contemplated working in the government. Finally, I got the chance to see what a job in the field might hold. I was hooked. Immediately, I knew that I had made the correct choice adding my second major in public affairs. That experience, combined with STEP led me to apply for Ohio State’s Canadian Parliamentary Internship program. At the end of the semester, I learned that I had been accepted into the program. I was thrilled!

At the beginning of the semester, I also began my role as one of the High School Outreach Committee Co-Chairs for the Ohio State Global Health Initiative. This position has given me the opportunity to work with a partner to plan and do outreach to local high schools and other organizations that work with youth. The purpose of this committee is to introduce youth to public health and the way that it impacts their world at a young age. I love the opportunity to educate others on something as important as public health. Unfortunately, we struggled to create a long lasting partnership with any high school teachers in the area. Consequently, moving into the Spring 2017 semester, my partner and I knew we would have to get creative to meet the mission of High School Outreach.

The final – and biggest – new beginning was my employment by the Ohio State Office of Student Life. In my freshman year, I had applied to be an Office Assistant in the residence hall where I lived but did not receive the position. I decided to apply again at the beginning of the autumn semester after volunteering during move-in weekend as an Ohio State Welcome Leader Coordinator (OWL-C). As an OWL-C, I got to work with the Senior Staff in my residence hall and realized that I enjoyed helping to create a great atmosphere for students in their new home. I was incredibly excited when I learned that I was hired as an Office Assistant in the Houston-Houck Residence Halls. My positive experience working at the front desk motivated me to apply to be a Resident Advisor. Originally, I had intended to apply to become an RA starting in the Fall 2017 semester. Instead, I was hired to begin immediately as an RA in Morrison Tower. In a whirlwind, I accepted the position on a Saturday, met my new Hall Director on Tuesday, moved on Friday, and began working on Sunday. While it was a challenge to take on this huge responsibility in the middle of a semester, I could not be happier with my decision.

 

 

Ohio Statehouse Internship

During the fall semester of 2016, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at the Ohio Statehouse. I worked in the office of the Senate Minority Caucus.

The Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, Ohio

It was a noteworthy time to be interning with any governmental body, especially one in Ohio. Because of the then upcoming elections in November, the Senate was preparing for “lame duck.” After the election, bills would be rushed through the legislative process, and every legislator and staffer would be trying to make the most of the end of the legislative session. At the same time, Ohio was experiencing a deadly opioid crisis with repeated calls for the state legislature to address it.

As a result of this unique combination of circumstances, I got my first opportunity to do policy research. The Caucus’ Deputy Chief of Staff recognized my interest in public health and policy. Consequently, I spent much of the semester researching anything and everything related to the opioid crisis. It started with gaining a working understanding of what was happening in Ohio and the series of events that had preceded the current crisis. From there, I helped to examine what other states were doing, contacted locals doing great work in their communities, and helped to develop a potential funding framework.

Not only was this internship an incredible experience, it addressed two important G.O.A.L.S. Because much of my work focused on research with a vague outline of what I was supposed to accomplish, I gained an appreciation for Original Inquiry. While in many ways my research was guided by the needs of the Caucus staff, I had the freedom to explore different ways the others had addressed similar policy issues and look at ways in which those potential solutions could be applied in Ohio. Additionally, this internship spoke directly to Academic Enrichment. While my majors in Public Health Sociology and Public Affairs are complementary, there are few opportunities to bridge the gap between them in a class setting. This is partially due to their being based in two different colleges. Yet, in reality, the subjects are closely intertwined. My work gave me the opportunity to see how closely public health and public affairs principles work together to address the needs of individuals and communities.

The most important things that I learned from this internship, however, weren’t from research. Instead, I gained an understanding of what it means to work in an office everyday. It takes internal motivation to keep digging through hundreds of pages of legislation and writing reports. It’s not easy. Yet, I also learned that I love it. The knowledge that something that you find – whether it’s a program, contact, or idea – could be implemented to one-day help someone is incredible. In some ways, it creates a huge amount of pressure. Yet, it makes the sometimes frustrating work incredibly rewarding.