Fourth-year 黑料爆料 Judy Genshaft Honors College student Madison Reiter traces her interest in public policy back to a lifelong love of reading and history. A dual major in political science and international studies, Reiter took learning beyond her textbooks and into the center of national policymaking last summer when she interned in Washington, D.C. The experience gave her direct, hands-on exposure to policy research and federal employment issues.
Reiter said her Honors experience in small, discussion-based courses helped shape
her professional identity and gave her the confidence to pursue competitive internship
opportunities.
鈥淭he Honors College really builds your professionalism, and your professors want to
get to know you, speak to you one-on-one,鈥� Reiter said. 鈥淚 gained confidence from
my professors telling me to apply for internships, scholarships, and get out there.
There were a lot of resources at the Honors College that helped me navigate applying
for those things.鈥�
Before heading to Washington, Reiter gained experience in civic service closer to
home. She served as a legislative intern with the Hillsborough County School District
Government Affairs Office after connecting with a guest speaker in an Honors course.
In that role, she met with lobbyists, board members and policymakers, gaining insight
into the most pressing issues facing Florida鈥檚 public school system.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much collaboration that happens in policymaking,鈥� said Reiter. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛
realize that until I was part of the process of putting policy down on paper.鈥�
Finding Her Way to Washington
Reiter鈥檚 work in Florida helped prepare her to take the next step and intern in the
nation鈥檚 capital through , a program that provides students with personalized career coaching and exposure
to legal and public policy processes.
During the program, Reiter was placed with the Division of Disability Employment,
where she helped advance the , an initiative that supports young adults with disabilities as they transition into
careers and higher education.
Reiter was also selected as to be an O鈥機onnor Scholar, which provided access to specialized
research opportunities and allowed her to explore new areas of interest.
鈥淪omething I never saw myself approaching was AI, and I also worked with health care,
disability law, and employment law,鈥� said Reiter. 鈥淢y supervisors sat me down and
asked, 鈥榃hat do I want to learn about? What do I want to take away from this experience?鈥�
And that really opened up the door to prepare for law school and learn about all types
of legislation.鈥�
Through her internship, Reiter networked with professionals across the legal field
and refined her vision for how she hopes to contribute to policymaking after graduation.
鈥淚 really got an inside look about how policy impacts people and different groups,
and I鈥檓 thinking of now working either in policy or in a legal firm,鈥� Reiter said.
Reiter said the experience reinforced the importance of pairing classroom learning
with hands-on opportunities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so important to get hands-on experience in your field and to really understand
the inner workings of what you鈥檙e going into,鈥� Reiter said. 鈥淵ou will meet people
that eventually will be your colleagues, and the skills you gain from internships
provide the knowledge you鈥檙e going to need in the future.鈥�