Two West Virginia State University (WVSU) students will soon be learning outside the classroom as they take part in two competitive internship programs.
WVSU Social Work student Lori L. Burton has been awarded a Judith A. Herndon Fellowship for the upcoming session of the West Virginia Legislature, while Political Science major Jordan Shanklin has been selected for an internship with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) for the spring semester.
The Herndon Fellowship is a competitive internship sponsored by the Legislature to instruct full-time undergraduate students in the theory and operation of legislative bodies. Only 10 students are selected for fellowships each legislative session. Students from every public college and university in West Virginia, as well as students from all but one in-state private college, apply to participate in the program.
“Government is something that interests me especially when it comes to the aging and how they are taken care of, and veterans and their benefits,” Burton said. “I want to learn how, when and why bills pass, or do not pass.”
Burton is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, and a member and officer of the Alpha Delta Mu Honorary Society.
Burton will be assigned to work to work with a specific legislator for the upcoming session. Following the conclusion of the session, Herndon Fellows are assigned to various legislative, judicial or executive positions for the duration of their 16-week appointments.
Shanklin has been chosen to complete a semester-long internship with the HEPC beginning in January. The HEPC is responsible for developing, establishing and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities. It is charged with oversight of higher education institutions to ensure they are accomplishing their missions and implementing the provisions set by state statute.
“As a Political Science major and aspiring future lawmaker, I know my desire to learn the legislative process,” said Shanklin who is expected to graduate this spring and intends to pursue a master’s degree in public administration.
Shanklin is the Vice President of the Pre-Law Association and a member of the Political Science Association at WVSU, and is also a member and former Vice President of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.
