Newman senior and theatre major Wesley Williams received the opportunity to be one of Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins’ (R-KS 02) three interns for the summer – an opportunity he’s dreamed of for years.
Williams said he will assist the rest of the congressional staff by giving tours, making copies, directing constituent concerns to the proper place, and helping with the day-to-day operation of Jenkins’ office. Williams said the application process was “fairly straightforward.” He completed an online application earlier this year, submitted letters of recommendation and was interviewed by the office. He began working on June 29 and will be in the office through Aug. 7.
“It took a few days to sink in, and even then it still hasn’t,” Williams said. “I look at the buildings like the Capitol and Supreme Court and stare for a moment in wonderment. I have always wanted to be in this position and now that I am, it feels awesome.”
Williams said he is considering going into politics. He plans to attend law school after graduating from Newman to get his juris doctorate degree and possibly a master’s in public policy or public administration.
“From there my options are nearly unlimited,” he said. “I have three or four different routes I’m considering. The one that I’ve been contemplating a lot lately is taking the judicial route – focus on constitutional law, try to land a clerkship with the Supreme Court or some other very respectable judicial system, and to eventually become a judge myself and maybe, just maybe, a Supreme Court justice.”
Williams said he’s excited for what is in store for him in the next six weeks.
“I think that this experience will pay off because I will know what it means to work in a congressional office,” Williams said. “Additionally, this opportunity provides me networking that I may not have ever had the chance to tap into if I were still in Kansas. This could possibly open some very big doors for my career.”
Williams said that Newman has done a great job preparing him for this position. He said that his background in theatre, the College Republicans club, and working as a student assistant has given him a wide variety of experience to inadvertently train him for this moment.
“I think possibly the most important thing is Newman’s mission,” he said. “They have trained me to ‘transform society’ and while I may not be doing that directly (yet), I am well on the path to being that mover-and-shaker that we are taught to be.”
Below is a gallery of photos Williams has taken so far during his internship.
