Legislative Scholars head to Tallahassee

For two carefully selected students, this semester will be spent in Tallahassee working with Florida state legislators.

Graduate student Chelsea Anderson and undergraduate student Diane Suddes were named UCF Legislative Scholars last October, and will work in  Tallahassee for the remainder of the semester.

As Legislative Scholars, Suddes and Anderson will have full-time positions working in state legislative offices until April. While Suddes works alongside Senator Mike Haridopolos, Anderson will be working with State Representative Eric Eisnaugle. Along with provided housing and a $2,500 stipend, the students will also receive academic credit.

For Suddes, these aren't the only perks.

"I think this internship will be a wonderful opportunity to further my education in state government … and also help to open up possibilities for employment in the juvenile justice system — an area I have great interest in," Suddes said.

As a self-described "non-traditional" student, Suddes is the mother of three grown children and her interest in government started after she was laid off from a job as an office manager for a magazine in 2008.

"After being unsuccessful at finding a job after six months, I decided it was time to go back to school and get a degree in social work, something I always wanted to do," Suddes said.

After attending Lobby Day in Tallahassee last April and learning about internship opportunities, Suddes' curiosity in the legislative position led her to apply.

Stephanie Krick is an instructor and internship coordinator in the Department of Public Administration at UCF.

Krick plays a part in the reviewing process for the scholar applicants, and sees great benefits in this internship.

"This internship gives students an opportunity to work side by side with legislators and their staff. These students take on real responsibilities," Krick said.  "They will have a behind-the-scenes look at how the legislature works."

Anderson sees this experience as a useful part of her future too.

"In the short term, I would like to be a legislative aide to a state representative or senator," Anderson said. "After completing this internship I will have acquired the skills and training necessary to excel at that job."

When an American National Government course sparked Anderson's interest in government her freshman year, she decided to double major in political science - international relations and theatre study. Since then, she has been getting as much experience as possible.

"I interned, networked and got to know both elected officials and their staff," Anderson said.

According to Anderson, this played an important part in getting this far. For others interested in taking the same path Anderson recommends interning as much as possible.

She advises to start interning as soon as possible because staying in one office several semesters in a row will help.

"You will build stronger relationships with people who want you to succeed and will be ‘promoted' and given more responsibility," Anderson said.

Both Suddes and Anderson were involved in the political atmosphere before receiving this internship. Krick noticed this effort while reviewing them for the position.

"These students were selected because they stood out amongst their peers," Krick said. "I have no doubt that each of these students will be excellent ambassadors for UCF."

The students will be expected to support legislative members with research, constituent relations, bill tracking and other daily operations.

This January was spent training for the duties and both students are prepared to start the journey to Tallahassee this week.