By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANA — Dozens of young people descend upon Indiana’s grand limestone Statehouse each chilly January to join full-time staff in propelling the state’s legislative apparatus through another bout of law-making.

They’re interns: researching legislation, tracking changes, drafting talking points, staffing meetings, responding to constituents and more.

And after, they’re more.

“We underestimate the power of the place, and the ability for these connections to transform the next route,” Rep. Wendy McNamara, a Republican representing Evansville, told the Capital Chronicle.

McNamara worked as a constituent services intern during 1992’s historically short legislative session, and went on to pursue a career in education.

Two decades later, she walked through the Statehouse’s big wooden doors as a lawmaker.

Getting serious

Eighty-five interns toiled within the Statehouse during the most recent legislative session, according to House and Senate resolutions honoring them: 58 worked for the Republican supermajority and 27 for the Democratic minority.

They filled a variety of roles: communications, information technology, legal, legislative, policy, multimedia and more, depending on the caucus.

“It wasn’t busy work. It wasn’t, you know, a done-by-lunch-type thing,” McNamara, who was then in her senior year of college, recalled. “It was serious work that they asked me to complete … I took that seriously to make sure that I gave them a product that that they could use.”

Bekah Wuchner interned with the House Democratic caucus’ media office in 2016, fresh from her undergraduate degree and working on a master’s.

“This was my first internship that I had where I feel like they completely treated me like I was an adult,” she said.

Wuchner monitored the caucus’ mentions in the news, checked in with lawmakers, drafted news releases and recalled being allowed to press “send.”

“In this role, you do have evening hours — that’s the way the Legislature works,” she said. “And honestly, it was a lot of fun. … Those late nights were my favorite because there was just so much camaraderie.”

And there were moments of wonder.

Rep. Cherrish Pryor, a Democrat representing Indianapolis, first heard about the internship program when longtime Rep. William Crawford announced that applications were open at a meeting of the Indiana Democrat African American Caucus.

Despite Pryor’s workload — a legislative assistant left shortly after she joined, and she took on that role too — she cherished opportunities to meet then-Gov. Evan Bayh and learn from her assigned lawmakers.

“I remember just being in awe that I was just an intern being a part of those meetings (with the Black caucus), and them discussing these major pieces of legislation,” Pryor said. “… They embraced me and made me feel like I was a part of the family.”

Graduating, then teaching the class

Interning was an exercise in confidence for both Wuchner and McNamara.

“I felt somewhat intimidated by the people and the process and the big fancy rooms,” Wuchner said. “It was really just a matter of convincing myself that I belonged there, being confident, and knowing that my work was helping the caucus. Everybody wanted me there.”

“It was validating the abilities I knew were there and enhanced them,” McNamara said, although she freely admitted she’s “never really struggled with confidence.”

Shortly after her internship and a subsequent campaign staff gig, McNamara decided to pursue teaching over law, and went back to school. She taught government, sociology and world history — and wanted her students to know how to “participate in government” regardless of their political affiliations.

McNamara didn’t intend to return, she said, though she’d wanted to maintain some involvement in politics and governance.

But the Statehouse calls.

Wuchner completed her internship and moved on other jobs. But when she heard the Statehouse was hiring a social media director, she applied immediately.

Now, Wuchner’s a digital media manager at The Nature Conservancy, an environmental conservation nonprofit.

“I got exactly where I wanted to go,” Wuchner said.

“Because I did this internship at the Statehouse and ended up … getting that social media director role, it gave me so many experiences that an early career communicator would not (otherwise) have. I credit that role for for getting me to where I am today,” she added.

Applications for House and Senate interns are due at midnight on October 31.

All internship positions, regardless of caucus, are full-time and paid. Interns earn a $900 pre-tax stipend biweekly, and get free parking downtown. Those in school are typically eligible for academic credit.

One intern from each of the four caucuses is also awarded a $3,000 scholarship sponsored by Verizon Communications, Inc.

“I think the interns are a critical part of session,” Pryor said.

“Anyone that has a chance to do (an internship) should. It opens up the doors of opportunity to so many careers,” she concluded.