Hey Everyone!
So this has been a very eventful week for me at the Senate since both my committees held meetings on the same day. I am in the Natural Resources committee as well as the Workforce and Commerce committee and both have proved to be very interesting already. It was nice being able to introduce ourselves to everyone working within the committee which definitely helped make us feel included, even though I was definitely nervous. I also learned lots of things during these meetings in between running errands, making copies, and fetching water for the Senators. This first week of meetings was rather calm since there were not many bills being proposed but I am definitely excited to see how that changes between now and the last day of the session which is known as "Sign or Die".
Also one of my peers brought forth some information from her committee which sparked a heated debate within our office. In her meeting the issue of whether prisoners should be paid minimum wage as opposed to the current low wage of a couple cents. The office was pretty split, some believed that the current wage is sufficient since prisoners have fewer expenses while incarcerated. Others felt that increasing the wage would help prisoners have some sort of foundation when they are released and even argued the point that many prisoners still send money to family members.
I am definitely looking forward to more conversations like these since they definitely help me look at things from a different perspective!
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Happy Birthday MLK!
This week has been very eventful, though I only got to go to my internship for one shift because of the late, great Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. This day has always been a big deal since his work has been so detrimental to where we are as people today. Though there are still instances of racial tension like the killing of Mike Brown which led to protests across the country, we as a people are way better at coexisting. With that being said, I spent my day off at the park with my roommate and my dog, Milo people-watching all the various families at the park. It was very nice to see the diversity of cultures all together in one place which one can say was Dr. King's dream.
With that being said, President Barack Obama is a great example of how far our society has come being that he is not only a strong leader but the first black President to grace the White House. Last night was his State of the Union address in which he discussed important issues like taxes, the economy, cybersecurity, climate, and the war on terror to name a few. Though I will not state my opinion on how I feel about his stance, I will say that I am excited to be working at the Arizona Capitol the day after that significant and also quite funny speech. It'll be interesting to hear the different conversations going on as well as if any of the Senator's will bring it up during the floor or committee sessions. Oh! Also today will be the first day our committees meet and I am working with the Natural Resources committee as well as the Workforce and Commerce committee. This means I'll have to set up the conference rooms ahead of time by setting out nameplates, laptops, beverages, and the gavel. I am definitely excited to see what I will learn sitting in these meetings and will keep you updated on what happens
Bye!
With that being said, President Barack Obama is a great example of how far our society has come being that he is not only a strong leader but the first black President to grace the White House. Last night was his State of the Union address in which he discussed important issues like taxes, the economy, cybersecurity, climate, and the war on terror to name a few. Though I will not state my opinion on how I feel about his stance, I will say that I am excited to be working at the Arizona Capitol the day after that significant and also quite funny speech. It'll be interesting to hear the different conversations going on as well as if any of the Senator's will bring it up during the floor or committee sessions. Oh! Also today will be the first day our committees meet and I am working with the Natural Resources committee as well as the Workforce and Commerce committee. This means I'll have to set up the conference rooms ahead of time by setting out nameplates, laptops, beverages, and the gavel. I am definitely excited to see what I will learn sitting in these meetings and will keep you updated on what happens
Bye!
Monday, January 19, 2015
An Introduction...
Hello everyone!
My name is Chandler Paige Stephens and I am a Senior here at ASU majoring in Public Service and Public Policy. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and have always been interested in community awareness as well as urban policy. I love my major and think that the various required courses have increased my knowledge in the many ways I can actually help people. I definitely think that I will fit great within the public sector because of this, though I am still trying to find my actual place. This semester I have been granted a great opportunity to intern at the Arizona State Senate as a Page and I am very excited to see what new knowledge this experience will bring me.
For those of you who don't really know what a Page does, we help run errands and various tasks like setting up for committee meetings, or getting coffee for thirsty Senators during floor sessions. We're pretty much on-call all day waiting for the next errand or committee meeting which keeps us on our toes. This internship position also allows me to see a very new and thorough perspective of the legislative process and how it works. One of the first things I hope to gain from this experience is a better idea of professionalism and how to handle myself within a very formal setting. This experience allows me to see how important formalities can be within a job setting and what it takes to ensure I follow them. Another thing I hope to gain with this opportunity is a clearer idea of what career path I will follow. Though I know I plan on getting my Master's in Public Administration, I hope that this internship will give me a better idea of how well I fit in this particular sector of public service. Lastly, I hope to gain new friendships with like minds. Unfortunately none of the close friends I've made in college have the same major as me so it is nice to be surrounded by people who are. I have already learned so many different things from them and can only hope that continues. Overall I am very excited to see what this new experience will bring me!
My name is Chandler Paige Stephens and I am a Senior here at ASU majoring in Public Service and Public Policy. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and have always been interested in community awareness as well as urban policy. I love my major and think that the various required courses have increased my knowledge in the many ways I can actually help people. I definitely think that I will fit great within the public sector because of this, though I am still trying to find my actual place. This semester I have been granted a great opportunity to intern at the Arizona State Senate as a Page and I am very excited to see what new knowledge this experience will bring me.
For those of you who don't really know what a Page does, we help run errands and various tasks like setting up for committee meetings, or getting coffee for thirsty Senators during floor sessions. We're pretty much on-call all day waiting for the next errand or committee meeting which keeps us on our toes. This internship position also allows me to see a very new and thorough perspective of the legislative process and how it works. One of the first things I hope to gain from this experience is a better idea of professionalism and how to handle myself within a very formal setting. This experience allows me to see how important formalities can be within a job setting and what it takes to ensure I follow them. Another thing I hope to gain with this opportunity is a clearer idea of what career path I will follow. Though I know I plan on getting my Master's in Public Administration, I hope that this internship will give me a better idea of how well I fit in this particular sector of public service. Lastly, I hope to gain new friendships with like minds. Unfortunately none of the close friends I've made in college have the same major as me so it is nice to be surrounded by people who are. I have already learned so many different things from them and can only hope that continues. Overall I am very excited to see what this new experience will bring me!
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