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| Image credit: Freeimages.com/Ryan Day |
It would be cool if as legislative intern, I could fill my
blog with my opinions on the issues based on my more-or-less insider
information, but I can’t. As an intern, I work for the Office of Legislative
Research and General Counsel, which is a nonpartisan organization that assists Utah
state legislators in writing laws. So basically, as long as I’m an intern, I
have no political opinion—all I do is support my assigned legislator.
However, that doesn’t mean that my blog has to be boring
while I’m working on the Hill. (Not that it’s ever exciting because I rarely
post.) Let me share a couple thoughts after my first week or so.
First, I’ve been very impressed with the legislators up
here. From what I’ve seen, they care a lot about serving the people of Utah.
They truly are public servants. Here’s a quote from our textbook, Utah Politics Under the Dome: Representation
and the Utah Legislature by Adam R. Brown:
“. . . [L]egislators now earn roughly $16,500 per year. My
survey suggests that legislators work over 1,000 hours per year, producing an
effective wage of only $16.42 per hour. At that wage, a full-time employee with
two weeks [vacation] would earn $29,240 per year, which is roughly half Utah’s
2013 median household income of $57,583. For a family of four, $29,240 is only
slightly above the poverty line ($23,050). It is not much of a stretch to claim
that Utah legislators earn poverty wages.”
It’s an honor to work with these public servants.
Second, I’m surprised by how quickly I’ve settled in. I
haven’t got it all down, obviously, but I feel like I’m getting there quicker
than I expected. A little bit of background for this—originally, I applied for
this internship almost more of an exercise in trying hard to get a job than
anything else. Yes, it would have been great to get this internship, but I
wasn’t too worried if I didn’t get it. I mostly wanted the experience of
actively pursuing a job.
So when I did receive the internship, I was excited.
However, the last couple of weeks before it started, I felt a bit sick with
anxiety. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before, so I wasn’t sure if I
could handle it. Even with the two weeks of training they gave us, I felt
unprepared.
The first day, I still felt sick and unsure. The interns
were introduced that first morning in front of the entire House, and it was
certainly unnerving to be the center of attention among such powerful people, even
if it was just for a moment.
However, by the second day, I felt much better and like I
had already gotten mostly in the groove. It’s weird: even though the experience
has mostly been meetings and research, which sounds really boring, I’ve been
enjoying myself. I wake up at 5 a.m. every day to catch the train (which is
really early for me); I wear a suit all day, every day (which isn’t exactly the
most comfortable thing to wear); and I come home exhausted with little desire to
do anything but read myself to sleep, but I’m having a blast. I know it’s going
to get even busier, but I really think I’m going to keep having fun.
I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my Heavenly
Father’s help. I don’t know if it would be a surprise to anyone to know that
I’ve been struggling with my faith for years. I’ve always believed in God and
always will believe in Him, but I don’t understand everything about His Plan,
and it’s hard for me sometimes. While anticipating this internship, I knew I
needed His help. I fasted, prayed, read my scriptures, and received a
priesthood blessing from my brother Harrison. The blessing said that I would
settle in before too long, but I didn’t imagine that I would feel settled in
this fast. I’m sure that my mom and others have prayed for me as well, and I’m
very grateful for them, their prayers, and a Heavenly Father who loves me.
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