My name is Ryan Lee and I am a graduate student studying
Public Administration at Arizona State University. This summer I had the
privilege of working for Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) of the United States House of
Representatives. Working for the Congressman was a wonderful experience, and
just for clarity, this blog will be in past tense as I worked over the summer
and am now submitting these blogs during my fall semester at ASU. My ultimate
goal in my professional life is to work in management both in the private and
public sector which is why I chose ASU’s MPA program with great excitement.
I had several goals going into the summer, including the
following three; 1) to gain exposure on the federal level, meaning I wanted to
see how government worked, what ruled and procedures were followed, and how the
American people were represented; 2) I wanted to learn how to effectively
assist an office. Since I am still learning how to manage, I signed on to the
Salmon team as a clerical staff assistant and from this, I wanted nothing more
than to know how to effectively assist eight to ten fast-paced employees; 3) I
wanted to decide whether I wanted to eventually run for office.
I know the outcomes of my goals; however, I wish to discuss
a summary of my goals at the end of the semester. Instead of coming out and
sharing my thoughts of the completion of the goals, I want to share my
experiences with you in hopes that you can decide if I accomplished my goals
bit by bit. In my final post, I will evaluate the three goals mentioned above. I
hope that this blog can be both insightful and educational, and just maybe;
someone will learn from me and take my experiences to heart.
What an excellent opportunity, Ryan! I'm looking forward to hearing more about your experiences throughout the semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Ryan, your internship sounds like a tremendous opportunity to get your foot in the door with the Federal Government. I was reading your goals and what you had hoped to accomplish and I couldn't help but notice the similarities between us. I'm interning with the State Department and my number one goal is to get exposure at the federal level and see how a large federal agency works from the inside. Much like myself, you are using this internship as a way to determine if this kind of work (running for office) is something you would be interested as you get older. Although I don't have a strong interest in running for office, I am using this opportunity to understand if this kind of work would be a potential career for me down the road. I look forward to hearing more about your internship
ReplyDeleteI'm quite excited to be reading about this internships on a federal level. I've actually been interested in a federal position for years but have always been with local agencies. It's going to be quite informative to read about the experiences you and Travis have over this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan, what an exciting opportunity for you. I think it's a great idea to both work in the public sector along with private also. I have had the opportunity to work in both and there can be a big difference. Working for the government at the Federal level would be huge and very rewarding. I have worked at the State and County level and enjoyed it very much. Running for office sounds intimidating but since you have assisted working for Rep. Salmon this gives you first-hand experience. The MPA program at ASU will give you the exposure you need in the management area -- good for you, this is an exciting opportunity for you. I look forward in learning more about your internship program as we go along.
ReplyDeleteRyan, Great to see you interning for Matt Salmon. If I say so myself, he has the best Congressional newsletter template I have ever seen, I read it often. I used to intern at the AZGOP and his photos are up everywhere from when he was chairman. Great to see you working there, will be a fantastic opportunity for your professional development to see how public administration works at the federal level.
ReplyDelete-Ric