The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Zachary W. during the 2007-2008 League.
Lansing Shadowing Experience
On Friday, October 19, I had the opportunity to meet and job shadow eight individuals over the course of several hours in downtown Lansing. Having an interest in politics and business, I was especially thrilled to be able to meet each these people, all of whom worked in a field of interest to me. I learned something from each person I met, and I immensely enjoyed myself.
Josh Nunez
I was able to spend 30 minutes with Josh. We talked over coffee, discussing politics, business, and interning. Josh is one of the founders of Curriculum Beyond the Classroom, an informal organization that helps place interns and provides connections that enable them to excel in their chosen field. I learned a great deal about Josh. He currently works at Pinnacle Exteriors, a home improvement company based in Lansing.
Rep. Rick Jones
Representative Rick Jones serves in the Michigan State House of Representatives. He currently sits on the Labor, Oversight & Investigations, Commerce, and Judiciary committees. I was able to interview Rep. Jones, and we talked at length about his career, politics, and his experiences in law enforcement. Later, I sat in on a meeting he had with a liaison from the Department of Natural Resources regarding its informational publications. Rep. Jones suggested several methods that could be used to save approx. half a million dollars in printing and distribution costs. It was interesting to catch a small glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes in government.
Jeremy Nunez
Jeremy is a legislative assistant in Rep. Jones' office. His duties mainly consist of handling constituent relations. He answers letters, takes phone calls, and handles communication for Rep. Jones. He also is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office. I spent the morning with him, and later was able to have lunch with him as well. He has a very friendly manner, and he proved to be a very interesting companion. He currently serves in the Air National Guard, and he will be called up for an assignment in several months.
Cana Garrison
Cana also works in Rep. Jones' office. She works on policy decisions, doing research and providing assistance in legislative matters. She explained the legislative process to me, detailing how a bill becomes law, from the concept stage to being signed into law by the governor.
Lindsay Esson
Lindsay works as an intern in Rep. Jones' office. She takes phone calls, answers letters, and handles some constituent relations. She explained her duties as an intern, and being interested possibly interning in a legislative office someday, her tour explanation was quite helpful. Lindsay currently attends Michigan State University and is studying political science and public policy.
Matt Krysiak
Matt works for Capitol National Bank in Lansing. The bank specializes in commercial loans to small- to mid-size businesses. Matt is a commercial loan officer. I was able to have lunch with him, and he explained what he does and how his job works. He also detailed how loan applications are reviewed and what he looks for in a business. He specifically looks for businesses with a good history, the ability to pay back the loan without difficulty, and that are preexisting. Being interested in entrepreneurship, our discussion was enormously interesting. He also gave a tour of the bank branch, as well as providing information on the operations that the bank is currently engaged in.
Erika Cropsey
Erika is a Legislative Assistant to Representative John Stahl. She handles constituent relations and office management. While I was in Rep. Stahl's office, I was able to write several letters to constituents. Mrs. Cropsey helped with this in providing me with information and suggestions, including how I should format letters and ideas on how to word them effectively. It was fun and good experience as well.
Jenell Hierholzer
Jenell is a legislative aide in Rep. John Stahl's office. Like Cana Garrison, she handles policy decisions and does research. She explained several things to me while I was there, including some of the documentation and finer details involved in creating legislation.
