Texas State alumna Selene Rodriguez of the Texas Public Policy Foundation spoke at the April 12th meeting of Supporting Women in Political Science (SWIPS). Ms. Rodriguez offered advice regarding internships and the think-tank career path. Among the things she emphasized were: the importance of time management and taking initiative, the value of a leadership mindset which is about helping as much as about commanding, and the essential role of networking and connections. As far as looking for jobs goes, Rodriguez said that qualifications and requirements on job applications are not as strict as they seem, so prospective applicants should sell themselves as best they can, put everything on their resume, and be ready to elaborate.
SWIPS President Jessica Myers, who helped organize the meeting, said that Rodriguez “gave a lot of incredible advice for prospective policy interns and offered herself not only as a resource, but also a point of contact for a potential internship at TPPF.” Following the meeting, 6 SWIPS members messaged Jessica regarding the internship spots.
The full recording of the Q&A and the meeting PowerPoint are available on SWIPS’ Canvas page, which students can be added to by sending their NetID/email to Jessica Myers via email at jlm538@txstate.edu or through SWIPS’ GroupMe DM here.
