Welcome!
This blog is brought to you courtesy of the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work's Austin Legislative Internship Program. The College selects graduate MSW students to intern at the Texas Legislature during its legislative session every two years. Student interns work as full-time staffers in the Legislature, either as policy analysts with the Texas Legislative Study Group, a caucus of the Texas House of Representatives, or in legislators’ offices.
Here, legislative interns share their unique experiences!
-
Recent Posts
- The Art of Balancing January 18, 2021
- Beginning an Unusual 87th Texas Legislative Session January 15, 2021
- To the Place Where Hope Becomes Capacity June 7, 2019
- End of the 86th: Finding Myself at a Loss for Words June 4, 2019
- Making Change Happen May 31, 2019
History
By Author
Tags
- #political participation
- access
- adjusting
- advocacy
- bill analysis
- budget
- budget week
- calendar
- change
- chubbing
- civic engagement
- committees
- community
- cooperation
- county affairs
- criminal justice
- culture
- Dallas
- discrimination
- economic justice
- empathy
- empowerment
- ethics
- expectations
- funding
- Garnet Coleman
- grassroots
- hope
- Houston
- humility
- immigration
- impact
- Jessica Farrar
- juvenile justice
- language
- Legislative Session
- legislators
- LSG
- mental health policy
- mentors
- NASW
- networking
- new experiences
- oppression
- other professions
- pension
- perseverance
- persistence
- policy
- policy implications
- political social work
- power
- privilege
- process
- public safety
- reading bills
- reflections
- refugees
- representation
- research
- sanctuary
- Sandra Bland
- SB4
- school social work
- self-awareness
- self care
- social justice
- social work
- social work voices
- statute
- technology
- testimony
- txlege
- values
- Voter ID Law
- Follow Austin Legislative Internship Program on WordPress.com
Author Archives: GCSW Legislative Interns
The Art of Balancing
With nearly a month invested into this internship, amid an increasing overdose crisis, a national movement reinforcing that Black Lives Matter, a global pandemic, and after an attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol, I would like to acknowledge the art of balancing. Continue reading
Beginning an Unusual 87th Texas Legislative Session
by Suzanne Pritzker, Associate Professor and director of the Austin Legislative Internship Program Earlier this week, the Texas Legislature kicked off its 87th Regular Session, as 14 University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) students kicked off their immersive legislative internships as … Continue reading
To the Place Where Hope Becomes Capacity
Note: Texas’ 86th Legislative Session – and the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work’s 2019 Austin Legislative Internship Program – concluded on Monday, May 27. Both will convene again in January 2021. This is our final concluding blog post from … Continue reading
End of the 86th: Finding Myself at a Loss for Words
Note: Texas’ 86th Legislative Session – and the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work’s 2019 Austin Legislative Internship Program – concluded on Monday, May 27. Both will convene again in January 2021. Over the next few days, we will be … Continue reading
Making Change Happen
Note: Texas’ 86th Legislative Session – and the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work’s 2019 Austin Legislative Internship Program – concluded on Monday, May 27. Both will convene again in January 2021. Over the next few days, we will be … Continue reading
What I’m Taking With Me
by Merci Mohagheghi, intern in the Texas Legislative Study Group Over the past two weeks, I have been responsible for 105 bill analyses on subjects that have been referred to the Texas House of Representatives’State Affairs ,Criminal Jurisprudence, and Natural Resources committees, … Continue reading
The End Looms Near
by Eli Davis, intern in the Texas Legislative Study Group This is my second of two blogs and I figured this one would prove easier to write than the first. There have been a whole lot of meetings, even more … Continue reading
Personal Privilege Speech
by Ali Schoon, intern in the Texas Legislative Study Group Mr. Speaker – Members, We have entered the last month of the 86thLege! As a social work intern and policy analyst with the Legislative Study Group, a lot of blood, sweat, … Continue reading
Caucus within a Caucus
by Santiago Cirnigliaro, intern in the Texas Legislative Study Group As Easter came and went, I was able to go home and see my family and friends for the last time before session ends. Even at 4 months into this … Continue reading
Hand Over Heart, Heart Over Stomach
by Sharon Jacob, intern in the Texas Legislative Study Group People come here to see how the sausage is made, but some of them become vegetarians. – Quoted on Overheard Texas Lege (@overheardtxlege on Instagram) Located in an office across … Continue reading