Comments from Victor Marquez
on his legislative internship sponsored by
the Mexican American Legislative Leadership Foundation, Inc.
(Moreno/Rangel Internship Program)

What did you learn/gain from the internship experience?
Working in the Texas House is an experience like no other. It reminded me a lot of boot camp while serving in the military. The position requires endurance, patience, and a whole new way of thinking and learning. Working at the Capitol is not a 9-5 job, it's a 6-month lifestyle shift. The hours are long (on average of at least 12 hours a day) and the work is meticulous and sometimes difficult to digest. The benefit is that I learned how to develop my work so that it is more meticulous and concise, and I developed my comparative analysis skills. A bill on its face may say one thing, but its application may be very broad and affect many other things besides just what the bill supposes to change.

Information on applying to internship programs in Political Science and other disciplines is available by visiting our internships page: http://www.liberalarts.txstate.edu/services/internships.html

One of the main discoveries that I've made about the Texas legislative process is that the political environment rests heavily on the time constraints of the 6 month legislative timeline. One really has to work at least two legislative sessions to understand and be effective within the legislative process because it goes by so quickly. There is much to learn from lobbyists and about the House Rules. For the first two months, receptions, lobby visits, political maneuvering, and becoming familiar with staff and legislators are the focus of the session. The third to fourth months become entrenched with filing bills and tracking what new pieces of legislation will be controversial, have a chance to pass, or reflect statewide and national political environment. For example, after the Virginia Tech shooting, all the gun control bills filed earlier began to receive much attention. The last month of the Session is filled with long days of trying to pass controversial bills. Yesterday I came in at 8 a.m. and left at 12:30 a.m. and was back in the office at by 8 a.m. today. It's difficult to fathom that a state with such landmass and budget can pass law in a 6-month period.

What was a particularly meaningful experience for you?
What made this experience so meaningful was the personalities and people that I've met at the Capitol. I used to think that legislators, lawyers and lobbyists were a sort of elite and were untouchable persons. However, I've learned that they are simply people just like you and me. Some legislators are more approachable than others and every office is run differently. This is what makes politics frustrating at times, but also very interesting. Such is the nature of a representative democracy. The most meaningful part of this job (and yes this is very cliché, but is true), is that you get to help people. I've worked in private business before, and you help people at a job like that, too. However, with a job at the Capitol you're really helping a lot of people at once. It’s a very interesting concept that the laws which you touch may potentially affect millions of Texans. Also very meaningful was the confirmation that certain legislators remain true to their roots and fight for equality among Texans.

When will you graduate, and what do you plan to do after graduation?
My short term goal is to attend the University of Texas Law School. I hope to learn more about corporate American law and perhaps minor in immigration law. Also, in the interim I would like to do some volunteer and pro bono work that relates to politics. I also hope to clerk at a big law firm sometime after graduation.

Why students should apply to the Mexican-American Legislative Leadership Program
There are multiple programs that allow students to gain legislative experience during the Session. The "LUNA," "TLIP," and "MALC" are just some of the more popular ones. Each program provides the student with a unique characteristic of that program. For example, the TLIP program takes a trip to meet the Governor but the MALC program might have a sit down meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Either way, you will definitely meet influential figures through any program. This helps to inspire the intern in a way learning in a classroom might not. I encourage students to do as much volunteer work and take leadership positions while in school so that your application is competitive and outshines all the others. This session, the MALC program, in which I am a participant, had more students from Texas State than from any other institution of higher education. The Bobcats in the program were proud that our school was so competitive for seats. Let's see more Bobcats in the future, and show that Texas State really is the Rising Star of Texas.