CSUB senior interns at governor’s office

Cassidy Sheppard receives real-world experience through Maddy Institute program

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 29^th, 2022

After studying political science for years at California State University, Bakersfield, senior Cassidy Sheppard had the opportunity to put her knowledge to practice over the summer.

In June and July, Sheppard served as a paid intern in the Constituent Affairs unit of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office. The internship was part of The Maddy Institute’s Legislative Intern Scholar Program, which gives students real-world experience in the political processes and operations of the government.

During her internship, Sheppard responded to phone calls from constituents, sorted email correspondence, researched bills and more.

“I wanted to get my finger on the pulse of what’s going on, what Californians care about right now,” she said. “I was genuinely curious about what everyday Californians are calling and asking about. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot.”

Sheppard is on track to graduate this fall with her bachelor’s as well as completion of the social science teacher preparation program. She wants to teach civics and U.S. history and would prefer to work at a continuation school.

“I attended a continuation school myself, so I feel like I can understand those kids on a different level than maybe others could,” she said.

Sheppard jumped at the chance of an internship, as she believed it would help give her experience that could be helpful in her future career.

“When people think of social studies teachers, they often don’t think of someone who studies political science, but I don’t know why that is because you’d think that someone teaching civics or economics should have a background or understanding of that,” she said. “I thought it would be really impactful to get an experience in government and then be able to share that experience with students.”

During the internship, Sheppard spent about half of her time taking calls and the other half sorting email. She said talking to constituents was both the best and worst part of the experience.

“Working with the public is not easy. Not everyone calling the office loves the governor,” she said. “Sometimes there would be some difficult calls. That was biggest challenge — not taking things too personally. Handling those situations can be challenging, but you’re learning the skills of navigating difficult conversations.”

Sheppard said the calls helped keep her informed on what was happening in the state and what the largest concerns were. She would often receive complaints about issues that the Governor’s Office has no control over, which helped her learn about the limitations of the office and the importance of separation of powers.

“Even though some of the calls were difficult, it was important for me to hear what people have to say,” she said. “I think it’s super important to understand what people care about.”

Director of Constituent Affairs Adrian Mata, who supervised Sheppard during the internship, said she was a great member of the team.

“Cassidy was a tremendous help to our unit. Her efforts had a significant impact on our production and ability to serve the people of California,” he said. “We are truly grateful to have had her assigned to us.”

Sheppard is grateful to have had the internship and said it reaffirmed her dream of one day teaching government.

“What I set out to do, I very much did,” she said. “This is real-life experience that I can share and talk about. I’m going to carry it with me and use it as an educational tool to help people understand how their government works.”

Applications for spring 2023 internships are expected to be available later this fall. Students interested in the Legislative Intern Scholar Program must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, be at least a junior in good standing and be able to work at least 10 hours a week during the semester at a local office and eight to ten weeks if placed in Sacramento or Washington D.C.