Raegan Fishback

Major: Political Science

Legislative Intern, Indianapolis Mayor's Office (Joe Hogsett)

1.) How did you learn about this internship opportunity?

I learned about this internship from a simple Google search of political science related internships in Indianapolis.

2.) How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals?

As a Legislative Intern, I have gained a better understanding of local government and politics, and I have come to like what I do. My internship has helped me build on my research, interpersonal and project management skills. My goal after college is to go to law school. Before attending law school, I would not be opposed to some form of government employment and each of these skills will benefit me while there. 

3.) How do you apply your Liberal Arts skills to your internship? 

I have acquired creative thinking and analytical skills from the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue. I have applied my creative thinking skills to this internship by coming up with creative ideas of how to explain civics to middle and high school students in Indianapolis and engage them with their local government. Additionally, I have applied my analytical skills to this internship by analyzing what other cities have done to regulate short-term rentals so that Indianapolis can potentially do the same.

4.) What is a piece of advice you would give someone looking for an internship?

Some advice I would give those looking for an internship is to search on various platforms like Google, LinkedIn, Indeed, etc., and to keep looking even when it feels like there is nothing left to find. I had been searching for internships on these platforms for months and was starting to lose hope until this internship seemed to randomly pop up. Now I am doing work that I truly enjoy, and I am grateful to have this as my first internship experience.