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[Dr. Sarah Young] Ever wonder what it's like to work under Georgia state capitol's "Gold Dome"? In a few short weeks, the University of North Georgia students that you are about to meet will actually get that chance.

Hi, I'm Dr. Sarah Young from the University of North Georgia's Department of Political Science & International Affairs. I'm here today with four outstanding students who were selected, along with 30-plus other students from across Georgia, to participate in the Spring 2020 iteration of the Georgia Legislative Internship Program, or "GLIP." I have asked them to share their feelings and thoughts with you as they prepare to embark on an experience of a lifetime.

[Hayden Lathren] I'm Hayden Lathren. I went to Sequoyah H.S. in Canton, GA. I'm a Political Science major with an American Politics concentration at the University of North Georgia.

[Avery Chappell] Hi, I'm Avery Chappell. I went to high school at Apalachee in Winder, GA. And, I'm a senior here at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ and I'm a Political Science major.

[Ashley Thomas] Hi, I'm Ashley Thomas. I went to Mill Creek H.S. in Dacula, GA. I'm a junior at the University of North Georgia, with a Poli Sci major, with a concentration in American Politics.

[Lana Goitia] My name's Lana Goitia. I was home schooled in Monroe, GA. I'm a Political Science major with a focus on pre-law, and I graduate in May of 2020.

[Dr. Young] What does the selection mean to you?

[Hayden] I think for me, it was, honestly, it was a really big deal just because I never expected to be selected. I knew that there were so many of us nominated, or not so many of us being nominated, but just a nomination from the University was a big deal to me. So at that point I just knew that I had a really good opportunity and I hope that I can take it.

[Avery] I felt really honored to be selected by the University. I thought that I kinda was a long-shot, but here I am.

[Ashley] Yeah, it definitely was an honor and, saying what he said, like I thought I was a long-shot, but it was kind of a validation that, of all my hard work in the past few years.

[Lana] Yeah, I agree with Ashley. It was definitely like, all the hard work that we put  into our classes, into our coursework, extra-curriculars, really paid off in the fact that it helped give us opportunity to be selected for this internship.

[Dr. Young] What are you hoping to get out of the internship, and what expectations do you have going into it

[Avery] I'm really looking forward to the connections and relationships that I'll make at the capital.

[Hayden] One thing that I'm really looking forward to is learning about the state legislative process. Most of my classes are focused on the government federally, and I'm excited to learn how our state does it itself.

[Ashley] I'm definitely excited for like, for hands-on experience, because like, we've taken state and local, we take all these classes, but like, that's just like paper, like learning, but not actually doing stuff.

[Lana] It's really awesome to be able to like, see how the process works in-person, be a part of that process. You can read about it in a book, or you have a lecture about it in class, but it's much different having hands-on experience.

[Hayden] This will be like the first time that the real world is actually, kind of hit  you in the face. So it's going to be a really cool experience and hopefully a little scary experience to figure out how to go about the professional world, as well as, I'll be taking classes and managing a sorority as well.

[Avery] I was worried that this internship would interfere with my graduation date, but the nine hours toward my Plan of Study, it, it helps.

[Hayden] Absolutely. I um, I think the cool thing about the internship is that it can count as a six- or a nine-credit hour for my major specifically, my concentration in American Politics. I've got two six-hour internships so it'll be good to knock this out, as well as, take a couple of on-line classes throughout the semester to keep me on track.

[Dr. Young] Do you guys have anything to pass on, any words of wisdom to share with other students?

[Ashley] I would definitely say, like don't be afraid to apply, like even if you don't think you're not going to get in, or your GPA isn't high enough, or your grades aren't as like, high as other people, like, they factor in more things than just academics, so like if you think you're not going to get it, like I would still apply, 'cause you never know what will happen.

[Avery] I agree. Don't, don't be afraid to apply and you never know what, what can happen.

[Hayden] Absolutely. I personally was terrified to apply. One of my professors, Carl Cavalli, I worked as a research assistant for him this semester, and just throughout this entire semester, he pushed and pushed and pushed that I apply, and, here I am.

[Lana] Yeah, I agree. Make sure you apply, even if you're not a political science major. They take majors of, they take all sorts of majors, you don't have to have taken like any classes that are political science-related. And make sure you start building connections with your professors in all your classes, as you'll need two letters of recommendation from your professors, so that's really important.

[Dr. Young] Thank you guys so much for your time and for sharing your journey with us.

[All] Thank you.

[Dr. Stephen Northam] Hello. My name is Stephen Northam, Dr. Stephen Northam. I'm with the ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Political Science & International Affairs department. Also, I'm the ¹û¶³´«Ã½ campus coordinator for the Georgia Legislative Internship Program, or, more affectionately called "GLIP."

If you're interested in serving as an intern with the Georgia State Legislature, from ¹û¶³´«Ã½, there's a couple of things I'd like for you to do.

First, I'd like for you to check out the video where I present an in-depth overview of the program.

The second thing I'd like for you to do is e-mail me any questions you might have concerning the internship, and I really hope that you seriously consider this - to become an intern next year, or the year thereafter.