Seven WWU Students Selected for 2021 Legislative Internship Program in Olympia 

Seven Western Washington University students have been selected to participate in the 2021 Legislative Internship Program in Olympia this winter.  

Nathanael Jo of Pasco, Kahler Kirk of Kelso, Frances Vail of Kirkland, Lydia Hainfield of North Bend, Davin Rose of Bellingham, Beth Taylor of Spanaway and Eric Negomir of Littleton, Colorado will intern winter quarter at the state legislature under the supervision of the House and Senate intern coordinators. 

The internship program offers Washington state college students the opportunity to gain paid work experience while getting to see the state legislative process up close. Interns build real-world skills while participating in seminars and workshops with state officials, policymakers, journalists and lobbyists. 

The students work in Olympia as full time staff while the Legislature is in session, from January through March or April every year.  

“I think anxious is the best way I can describe how I feel about going into the legislative internship,” Kirk said.  

“One major takeaway that I've come to understand through my Political Science major at Western is that the most effective political change tends to come from local and state institutions, which was a big reason that I wanted to pursue this internship,” she said.  

Haindfield said that she is also nervous, but is still excited.    

“It’s a bit intimidating to think about working amongst legislatures, yet I’m very thankful for this opportunity,” she said.  

For more information out Western’s legislative interns, contact Erica Steele, Western Washington University program coordinator in the Department of Political Science, at steelee@wwu.edu, or (360) 650-3469.