>> SPEAKER: THANK YOU. SO I'M NEAL ALLEN, I'M THE CHAIR OF THE
POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT AND ALSO I DIRECT OUR WASHINGTON,
D.C. INTERN PROGRAM. WE HAVE A PROGRAM IN THE POLITICAL SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT WE'VE BEEN RUNNING ABOUT 20 YEARS THAT PLACES
STUDENTS IN INTERNSHIPS EITHER IN WASHINGTON, D.C. IN PUBLIC
AFFAIRS OR IN TOPEKA IN THE SPRING WHEN THERE'S A
LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND ALL KINDS OF INTERESTING GOVERNING
TO BE DONE. I'D LIKE TO ANNOUNCE WE'VE SELECTED EIGHT
INTERNS FOR THIS PARTICULAR SPRING. TWO GOING TO TOPEKA AND
SIX GOING TO WASHINGTON, D.C. SO FAR STUDENTS HAVE SECURED
INTERNSHIPS WITH SENATOR MORAN'S OFFICE, WITH STATE
REPRESENTATIVE BRANDON WHIP HE WILL'S OFFICE IN TEXAS, AND HAVE
EXCITING INTERVIEWS AND WILL MAKE US PROUD THIS SPRING. AND
I WOULD LIKE TO TURN THE -- OUR TIME OVER TO THREE STUDENTS, TWO
OF WHOM WERE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM LAST YEAR AND ONE WHO'S
GOING TO WASHINGTON, D.C. THIS COMING
SPRING. >> SPEAKER: HI, EVERYBODY, MY
NAME IS GENTRY THIESEN, I AM A CURRENT SENIOR IN POLITICAL
SCIENCE, AND I SERVED AS AN INTERN LAST SPRING IN TOPEKA. 
SO AS YOU SEE HERE, I'VE GOT A COUPLE PICTURES HIGHLIGHTING THE
THINGS THAT I DID. DURING MY INTERNSHIP I WORKED WITH
REPRESENTATIVES THAT WERE BOTH IN THE KANSAS CITY AND PRAIRIE
VILLAGE AREA. MY ROLE WAS SPECIFICALLY AS AN OFFICE
ASSISTANT, AND DURING THAT ROLE I SERVED IN HELPING THEM WITH
SOME CONSTITUENT SERVICES, SOME LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH, AND REALLY
GETTING INVOLVED IN THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS. SO DURING
HIS TIME THERE, MY INVOLVEMENT WITH THE CAUCUS RESULTED IN ME
BEING ELECTED AS THE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT FOURTH
CHAIR FOR THE KANSAS YOUNG DEMOCRATS, AND IT'S LED ME TO
SECURE AN INTERNSHIP THIS FALL WITH BRANDON WHIPPLE SERVING ON
HIS CAMPAIGN FOR
REELECTION. >> SPEAKER: GOOD MORNING,
EVERYBODY, I'M DRAKE ROBINSON, LAST SPRING I WAS ABLE TO INTERN
WITH SENATOR JERRY MORAN'S OFFICE. -- FOR OFFICE DUTIES I
DID EMAILS, PHONE CALLS, SOMETHING KIND OF INTERESTING IS
WE WOULD HAVE ALL THE KANSAS OFFICES SEND US NEWS CLIPS AND
I'D COMPILE THEM AND GO GIVE THEM TO THE SENATOR IN HIS
OFFICE. THIS GAVE ME A CHANCE TO TALK TO THE SENATOR ABOUT THE
ISSUES OF THE DAY AND HE WOULD OFTEN TAKE THE NEWS CLIPS ONTO
THE SENATE FLOOR BEFORE HE WENT OUT THERE. SO SOMETHING THAT'S
REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT THE PROGRAM THAT WICHITA STATE DOES
IS WE HAVE A GROUP OF INTERNS, NOT JUST FROM WICHITA STATE, BUT
WE MERGE WITH STUDENTS FROM K.U., K-STATE, FOURTH HAYS STATE
AND OTHER SCHOOLS IN KANSAS, AND THAT GIVES US A CHANCE TO HANG
OUT WITH PEOPLE ON THE WEEKENDS. I TOOK A TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY
AND PHILADELPHIA WITH SOME OF THESE PEOPLE. I'M STILL PRETTY
GOOD FRIENDS WITH SOME OF THEM TO THIS DAY. SO I REALLY
ENJOYED MY TIME THERE. ON THESE IN THESE PICTURE, THE ONE TO THE
TOP LEFT WE HAVE A FORMER GOVERNOR MARK PARKINSON. HE
TOOK US ALL OUT TO DINNER AT A RESTAURANT NEAR THE WHITE HOUSE
ONE EVENING. IT WAS REALLY COOL JUST GETTING TO TALK TO HIM WITH
THE KANSAS PERSPECTIVE AND DC, AND HE GAVE US, YOU KNOW, TIPS
TO GET JOBS IN DC AND WHAT TO -- WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR WHO
ARE HIRING OUT THERE. I ALSO GOT TO GO ON THE SPEAKER'S
BALANCE BALCONY, THIS IS WITH RON ESTES, HE TOOK US UP THERE. 
ONE NIGHT AFTER JUST A K.U. EVENT THAT WE ALL GOT TO GO TO
AND JUST MEET PEOPLE, THERE'S A FEW CONGRESS PEOPLE THERE. SO I
REALLY ENJOYED MY TIME, AND I HOPE MORE PEOPLE APPLY IN THE
FUTURE, IT'S A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM, SO THANKFUL TO WICHITA
STATE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. >> SPEAKER: GOOD MORNING, I
DON'T HAVE ANY FANCY GOVERNMENT PICTURES BECAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN
THERE YET, BUT MY NAME IS
ALEJANDRO ESSPARSA. I'M NOT LOOKING INTO GOING INTO THE
POLITICAL SIGNS,
I'M INTERESTED IN -- THEY'RE IN CHARGE FOR
LOBBYING FOR MORE FAIR VOTING RIGHTS, BIGGER SCALE VOTING,
THEY WANT TO SEE CHANGES IN OUR VOTING SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY THINK
IT'S BROKEN. I WILL BE PERFORMING RESEARCH WITH THEM. 
I'LL BE WORKING WITH ERICA SCHULZE, AND SHE'S IN CHARGE OF
THE WHOLE THING. I HAVE ANOTHER INTERVIEW WITH THE 20TH DISTRICT
REPRESENTATIVE FROM TEXAS, WHO IS ALSO VERY INTO EDUCATION,
VOTING RIGHTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AS HE SAID, THIS IS A
GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYBODY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A POLITICAL
SCIENCE MAJOR, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS WE CAN DO. I HOPE YOU
ENJOY THE PICTURE, THAT'S THE BEST PICTURE I HAVE.
>> SPEAKER: ALL RIGHT. SO I JUST WANT TO WRAP IT BACK UP FOR
YOU GUYS. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF REALLY GOOD BENEFITS THAT YOU --
THAT THE STUDENTS OF THE POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT AND
REALLY ANY DEPARTMENT THAT APPLIES FOR THIS INTERNSHIP CAN
GET. AND THAT INCLUDES APPLIED LEARNING EXPERIENCES. THERE'S
NOT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT IN SOME OF THE LIBERAL ARTS
AND SCIENCES COLLEGES, AND SO POLITICAL SCIENCE IS REALLY
UNIQUE IN THAT WE GET TO GO TO NEW CITIES AND BE THERE FOR A
COUPLE OF MONTHS AND TRY OUT NEW EXPERIENCES. FURTHER ACADEMIC
INVOLVEMENT, SO I'VE BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN THE DEPARTMENT,
OPTIONED ME TO STAND UP HERE TODAY AND PRESENT FOR YOU AS A
PART OF MY FINAL PRESENTATION. SO I GOT TO OPT OUT OF A PAPER. 
THAT'S GREAT. IMMERSION IN CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS, A LOT OF
STUDENTS GET INVOLVED IN CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS AFTER THEY'VE
SERVED IN INTERNSHIPS, WHETHERS THAT STUDENT GOVERNMENT OR THE
COLLEGE DEMOCRATS OR COLLEGE REPUBLICANS. CONNECTIONS WITHIN
THE COMMUNITY, SO LIKE I SAID I GOT TO SERVE IN AN INTERNSHIP ON
A CAMPAIGN THIS FALL. IT'S A CLEAR LEARNING TOOL SO IT WILL
HELP GUIDE ME IN WHAT I WANT TO DO LATER THIS SPRING,
APPROXIMATES ONSITE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE GET TO GO
TO NEW CITIES AND WORK THERE FOR MONTHS AND GET TO LIVE THERE AND
IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. FOR MORE INFORMATION YOU CAN VISIT
OUR DEPARTMENT PAGE ONLINE. 
