A Foot in the Door at the Idaho Statehouse
At 38 years old, Lindsay Campbell had two grown children and her own business in direct-to-consumer lending. The roadblocks between her and becoming a first-generation college student, she said, were gone.
“I held myself back from college because I had to work,” she said. “I had all these excuses about why I couldn’t attend, and finally I got over myself and realized college is for me, too.”
Campbell studies criminal justice and political science and is also working on a human rights certificate at Boise State University. After graduating, she wants to attend law school to advocate for children.
“I see injustice all over the place,” she said. “I didn’t have an advocate; I didn’t have help when I needed it; and I think that’s where my passion comes from — not only in terms of family law, but in criminal law.”
However, an important part of her education won’t take place in a classroom or the library, but in the Idaho Statehouse during the 2022 legislative session. That’s when she’ll work as an intern for the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives sitting in on the Business; Environment, Energy and Technology; the Commerce and Human Resources Committee; and Resources and Conservation committees — an experience that comes courtesy of the Legislative Intern Fund through the School of Public Service.
The Legislative Intern Fund allows students to attend committee meetings and work directly with lawmakers, undertaking important work like meeting with constituents, writing letters on behalf of representatives and leading research projects that may inform legislation. These internships are paid, with students receiving $15/hour for their work. The School of Public Service’s preference is to send 10-15 students to the Idaho State Capitol each year.
Among Idaho’s public colleges and universities, Boise State is closest to the heart of the legislative process. Supporting the Legislative Intern Fund will allow more political science students to experience lawmaking first-hand — a prospect Campbell relishes.
“Having this internship and being selected, I was jumping, I was screaming,” she said. “I was very excited to receive it. It’s a huge blessing to have other people believe in me.”