Marion Reilly, who is a senior majoring in English and Humanities-Prelaw, worked as a Legislative Intern with Senator Veronica Klinefelt at the Michigan Senate. She wrote about this internship experience in the following Q&A that originally was published by the Excel Network.
What were your internship responsibilities?
Some of my responsibilities included monitoring legislation, preparing written correspondence, and conducting legislative research and analysis.
How did you obtain your internship?
I found the internship through an emailed College of Arts & Letters newsletter, advertising it on Handshake. I just applied after updating my resume and got in touch with the Senator’s office.
What did your daily routine include?
My daily routine varied depending on the time during the legislative session, but I usually found myself attending meetings with organizations and lobbyists, taking notes at seminars around the House and Senate office buildings, writing tribute letters, tracking bills as they moved through the legislature, and researching legislation.
What was the hardest part of the internship?
While it was interesting, the hardest part of the internship was performing legislative research. It can get confusing and turned into a bit of a rabbit hole of information, which is frustrating. It’s easy for me to understand now why it sometimes takes years to form and introduce new legislation.
What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
There was a bit of a learning curve, but I understand how the Michigan legislature works now, and I think understanding your government and how it operates is an invaluable skill. I also gained proficiency in research and analysis, writing, and communication, as well as technical skills like using Excel, Indigov, Virtual Phone Bank, Microsoft Teams, and Sharepoint.
How did the internship help prepare you for your career?
The legislature isn’t my ultimate goal, as I would like to be a lawyer one day, but I think understanding how laws are made and forming connections is an important part of my education that will prepare me for the future.
