Every Tuesday and Thursday Ron Owens III wakes up at 8:30 a.m. to go to class. But once class is done, his day actually starts.
Owens, a freshman in James Madison college, takes Route 1 of the CATA bus toward the Capitol, where he interns at the office of state Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor.
“(Zemke) is awesome. He is ... (a) really chill boss. He gives me a lot of freedom, trusts me with sending out constituent emails and talking to constituents and planning my own things,” Owens said.
Owens is also in charge of a call-to-action made by President Obama called My Brother’s Keeper.
Owens, who has interned with representatives since his freshman year of high school, said he has been interested in politics for a long time.
“I’m very passionate on things such as education and (the) Affordable Healthcare (sic) Act and budgeting as well,” Owens said.
MSU students intern both in the state House of Representatives and in the state Senate.
According to the Michigan House of Representatives Business Office, there are 106 unpaid interns this semester working in the House. At least 50 of them have ties to MSU.
In the Senate, interns are also working hard.
Interdisciplinary studies senior Chris Pascoe has been interested in politics for four years.
His aunt has known state Sen. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy, for many years and she was able to connect Pascoe with the senator.
“Networking is very huge, especially when you work in politics,” Pascoe said.
Pascoe, who also interns two days a week, said his job consists of communicating with constituents and conducting research on bills.
But working in the state Senate can be intimidating sometimes, Pascoe said.
“I did find it intimidating, because you never know if someone is the head of a major corporation or a state representative or some sort of a legislative aid,” Pascoe said. “You never really know, so you always have to be professional.”
Although the suit and ties and the dresses might be intimidating to some, looks are deceiving, Owens said.
“Everyone there is very humble and nice and just working as hard as them ... (is what gets) them to like you,” Owens said. “So being able to work hard and dedicate myself to the work made it easier for me to be in that atmosphere.”
Owens and Pascoe both agreed that interning in the Capitol has made them grow professionally.
“I would say interning with the Capitol has opened a lot of doors because you meet a lot of people from different committees,” Pascoe said.
Owens said working as an intern has helped him decipher political myths.
“Everything that TV shows or news shows is not the same thing,” Owens said. “Democrats and Republicans don’t always hate each other. They actually work together well on some things.”
