Simoné McGauthaDr. Anne Marie FoleyFinal PaperMissouri State Senate3 May 2013I.At the beginning of the CLIP Servant Leader Internship, I had no idea what I was getting myself in to. As a person who is not that informed about different aspects of politics, I knew that walking into the Capitol building, I would be lost; figuratively speaking and literally. Starting off, my main task as an intern was to find my way around the Capitol. I met other senators, learned very quickly which people I should and should not talk to, I researched Senator Holsman’s ideas for the 7th District and as a result I had areally great understanding of what his passions and beliefs were. The easiest way for me to learn my way around the Capitol was just by delivering documents to other senators and getting signatures. Senator Holsman was extremely adamant about who I should andshould not talk to around the Capitol. I noticed that he was concerned a lot about his reputation, mainly because it is his first session as Senator. I had to pay attention to whichpeople had Senator Holsman’s interest at heart. For example, if a Republican Senator does not care for Senator Holsman or has been conniving in the past toward him, he has advised me not to communicate with them in detail because whatever I say can later be used against him. It was a lot of pressure on me at first, it seemed as if I couldn’t talk to anyone. I was afraid to even speak because I could not tell whom I should trust or not.After learning, what I considered, the basics, I gained my Senator’s trust. My duties changed and I didn’t feel like what I was doing was “busy work.” He gave me task that I felt should be the tasks of his chief-of-staff. I spoke with constituents from the Kansas City Community and it made me feel more comfortable speaking to people around the Capitol while holding conversations with them. Senator Holsman began trusting me with driving his car, which didn’t seem important at first I was driving aroundconstituents back and forth between the Capitol and the governor’s mansion. The constituents were mostly women and elders and his reason for doing that is because he wanted to show them the utmost respect. He did not want them to have to walk down hill in heels or in the cold. Overtime, my responsibilities showed that Senator Holsman trusted me more and more. I went from filing and getting coffee to writing blogs, transporting constituents and giving advice on legislature. Beginning this internship, I didn’t even know what a lobbyists was and then whenI finally had an idea of the job, I didn’t think it was very important. For some reason theirjob didn’t seem significant because all I saw them do was bring gifts to house reps and the senators. Senator Holsman and Senator Curls were and still are very passionate about Senate Bill 200. This act creates the Missouri Teen Dating Violence Prevention EducationAct, to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and information to prevent and respond to teen dating violence. Lobbyist from The Community Foundation helped this bill get voted on by convincing senators around the Capitol to vote yes on the bill. They did this by going to the Senators and showing them videos of children wanting to kill themselves because of violence from their significant others and bullying. It touched the senators because a lot of them have young children, and imagining your children in thatsituation is heart breaking. I finally figured out the purpose of lobbyist and why they are so important. The job that a lobbyist has when summed up is to bring pressure against legislators to create change in laws for or against their cause. Their major job is to work for those matters that benefit their clients and against those that may harm them. By working with the government and trying to get change a good lobbyist understands the procedures of government and the correct way to persuade a government figure one way or another. It is because of them, senators across the board voted yes on SB 200.That situation was one of the best situations I have witnessed. In a way, it humanized the senators because my intimidation of them kind of blinded the human side of them for me. II.Over the past 4 months, I have personally grown tremendously. Interning in the Capitol and sitting in the Education Committee Meetings, has inspired me to get involvedwith the politics of education. I have noticed that a lot of the people who have a say in thepolicies regarding education have never taught, let alone have ever been in the classroom. It was frustrating to see the senators in the education committee make decisions based on what they have observed on the outside; such as test scores. They don’t take intothe consideration that the student has other factors that affect their learning. One issue that has stood out to me as an educator is the Charter Schools issue. Senator Holsman believes they have a place in the future of education of Missouri’s youth. However, the lack of oversight and accountability that are currently employed in these institutions can lead to institutions that do not adequately address educational needs. Proper oversight andaccountability measures need to be implemented for Charter schools to become ameaningful piece of our state’s educational horizon. It has motivated me to eventually getinto politics because as an education major, I will have the background knowledge to make the best decisions possible for education policies. Working in the Capitol has helped me extend my long-term goals. III.My social development skills have enhanced as well. The transferrable skill that I value most is confidence. Working with the Capitol around people who once intimidated me has given me the confidence needed to succeed. I notice that in my interviews I have higher self-esteem to speak about my leadership experiences and myself. I understand politics a lot better than I had before. I have realized that politics aren’t necessarily black and white or just republican and democratic. For example, SB 205 was a bill that Senator Holsman and Senator Sater were working on for the last couple of months. Beginning July 1, 2014, children older than 15 years of age who are in the foster care system or the Division of Youth Services program within the Children's Division of the Department of Social Services have to receive a visit to a state university or community or technical college in Missouri before
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