Tribe helps fund legislative internships at Boise State

Internships are recognized as a valuable opportunity for students to build real-world experience and make the important connections needed to launch a career.

With Boise State’s location near the Idaho State Capitol, positions at the Legislature have long been a natural fit for political science and public administration students. Unfortunately, finances have been a hurdle for many students; not only are the internships unpaid, but students have been required to cover their own tuition.

The new Legislative Internship Scholarship from the School of Public Service seeks to make legislative opportunities a reality for more students by helping cover the costs of their internships. This scholarship fund recently received a boost from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, which donated $7,000, enough to assist 10 students to intern with financial assistance at the Idaho Legislature for the 2017 session. Efforts to fully fund the scholarships are ongoing.

“Now more than ever, our state needs great leaders,” stated Chairman Chief James Allan of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. “Internships can be a great tool to help to prepare our future leaders for a life of public service, but the struggle of funding an internship can be an obstacle for many. We hope that this scholarship will increase the level of access to internships for more students and ultimately inspire students to pursue a career in public service.”

As a former state legislator and a current Boise State public policy and administration professor, Wendy Jaquet agrees.

“The Legislative Intern Scholarship is all about making public service internships attainable for more students," Jaquet said. "This helps them gain the connections and experience needed for a successful career serving the public. We are grateful to the Coeur d’Alene Tribe for this generous contribution.”