Two WT Political Science Students Earn DC Internships Through A&M System Program

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - Two West Texas A&M University students were named to a prestigious public policy internship program, and each will spend the spring semester in Washington, D.C.

Alison Sweeney, a junior political science major from Spring, and David Ortega, a senior political science major from Sunray, are two of nine students across the Texas A&M University System to be named to the new Texas A&M University Public Policy Scholars Program.

"Interning has been a dream of mine and I think it is a dream for most political science students," Sweeney said. "Serving your country through federal government is truly an amazing experience and learning opportunity that can open so many doors in the future."

"I believe that doing things out of your comfort zone is good for you, and my comfort zone is Texas," Ortega said. "Leaving home for a semester and jumping into a different environment, to me, seems like it would be good for myself as a student and as a person."

The program is designed to develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good by providing students with hands-on experience in public policy careers. Students from various schools and majors can participate in public policy internships to discover the role policy plays in every industry.

Both Sweeney and Ortega are students in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice in WT's Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences.

Sweeney will intern for Rep. Keith Self, R-McKinney. Ortega is still securing his internship.

"The fact that two of nine students selected from universities across the entire Texas A&M University System are from WT speaks volumes about our two honorees and the quality of education they are receiving in our political science program," said Dr. Gary Bigham, dean of the Rogers College. "We are exceedingly proud of Alison and David for their accomplishments. This opportunity to intern in Washington D.C. for a semester will advance their education through curriculum and instruction complemented with real-time experience."

Both are active students at WT. Ortega currently serves as Chief Justice and Sweeney is an associate justice in the Student Government Association. Sweeney cofounded and currently serves as vice president of the Pre-Law Student Association. She also is the career and personal development chair for Chi Omega and is a member of the Attebury Honors Program. Ortega is the treasurer of the Pre-Law Student Association.

After graduation, both plan to attend law school.

The program is coordinated through Texas A&M University's Bush School of Government & Public Service and the TAMUS Office of Academic Affairs.

The internships are one way in which WT creates in its students a commitment to being self-reliant, courageous, resourceful and part of something larger than one's self, a primary goal of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign's new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest's finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men's and women's athletics programs.

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