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Interns serve as paid staff to legislators, lobbyists, and government offices during the 45-day legislative session starting in late January.

Intern work includes tracking legislation, speech writing, committee meetings, researching issues, and analyzing bills.
Student interns choose to register for 6 to 15 credit hours. Legislative interns are not able to take on-campus classes during this session due to the full-time work schedule.
Priority is given to applicants who have completed at least two years of college. Not available to first year students.
Legislative interns are paid up to $4,000 and work from the start of the semester until the end of the legislative session (usually early-March). Depending on the host office, some interns work the full semester.
Students must have earned at least 60 academic credit hours. Interested freshman are encouraged to first take the Forum Series Course (POLS 3910) to sharpen writing and public speaking skills.

Applications for 2025 Spring Semester will open in Fall of 2024.

How To Become an Intern

Before we pair you with a legislative internship, you first have to apply to the Hinckley Institute. These are the steps you will need to take during and after you click the Apply Now button to start your application.
After you are accepted to the Legislative Intern Program, you will be set up with internship interviews and need to complete the following:

Additional Requirements

INTERNSHIP COURSE - HNKLY 4901/4921
In addition to the internship, interns attend a preparatory training course usually held the first week of the semester. They will learn about how the Utah Legislature operates and how to be an effective intern. Students will also be working part-time the two weeks before the start of the session.
POST-INTERNSHIP COURSE - POLS 4801
After the legislative session, interns attend a four to five week seminar on state and national government, politics, and the legislative process. This is a three-hour credit course. Credit hours for this course are in addition to those earned during the legislative internship.

Student Testimonials

Interns from a diverse range of studies and interests discover the power of legislative work. Motivated and engaged students will gain unique, sought-after skills and springboard their future career paths.

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Diana Rodriguez, History

"I completed a legislative internship through the Hinckley Institute and interned for our Senate Minority Whip, Luz Escamilla. This experience was incredible and has furthered my interest in politics as well as encouraged me to become more engaged in our own local community and be informed about policies that effect us. I would recommend anyone to seek information about all the internships the Hinckley Institute has to offer. Even if you're not majoring in Political Science, there's something for every student."

Khai Ronquillo, Political Science

"My favorite part of a legislative internship was helping the Representative I interned for make good changes for Utah. It was very fulfilling work. I also assisted on getting a bill passed to make Juneteenth a state holiday, and worked as my representative's right-hand man helping with her schedule, meetings, and advice. I encourage everyone to get civically engaged."

Thaiss del Rio, Sociology

"As Senator Escamilla’s intern, I researched and created talking points and fact sheets that explained her bills, attended committee meetings, responded to constituents, and ensured that everything ran smoothly so that my Senator was always ready to go. I learned the importance of flexibility, adaptability, and accuracy. I gained valuable research, communication, and leadership skills that will assist me as I continue with my academic journey and beyond. Most importantly, I learned the power that exists in our voices when we as a community speak up about issues that we care about and impact us."

Lisa Nehring, Social Work

“Having the opportunity to intern during Utah’s Legislative Session offered an unparalleled learning experience. Working closely with a legislator offered me the chance to gain in-depth knowledge of policy making and observe the interpersonal relationships among legislators, constituents, and lobbyists. It was especially exciting to see how the work I did helped my senator pass legislation that directly benefited Utahns. This experience allowed me to view the big picture of how social work skills can be applied on the macro-practice in law making. In addition to applying my learned social work skills, I developed more as a young professional, and gained meaningful personal and professional connections throughout this process. Being a legislative intern during the 2019 Legislative Session was the best possible way to cap my social work education.”

Bradley Beck, Political Science

"The Utah Legislative internship. It got me started in my career. I was able to do three different internships my time at the Hinckley Institute and that internship by far gave me the most robust experience. It launched my career, and because of that I will be graduating with a great job out of college. I got a job at the Republican National Committee as their External Support Data Analyst in Washington D.C. I plan on working there for a few years and hopefully working my way up through the RNC."

Paige Rockwell, Economics and Gender Studies

“Being a part of the Utah House Democrats was exciting, other than tasks specific to my legislator, House Democrat interns worked together on many projects to accomplish goals for the caucus. It was a very fun environment to be a part of but the professional experience, networking opportunities, and application of new skills was unparalleled. My majors are Gender Studies and Economics and the legislator I was paired with ran multiple bills that related to them and I discovered plenty of opportunities to learn how to apply my majors to this internship program.”

Max Flom, Political Science

“I graduated with a degree in Political Science, and I used knowledge from my Hinckley internships to maximize my understanding of the legislative process. I worked for a U.S. Senator, a Utah Representative, a Parliamentary campaign, and a D.C. lobbying firm. I experienced the many levels of creating legislation, and I enjoyed learning from politicians and organizations on different sides of the aisle.”

Nisha Patel, Biology

"As a biology major, I did my internship at the Utah State Legislature to learn the process of how laws are made in our state. This internship gave me quite a few connections to help me with my future career goals. The Hinckley Institute helped me get the exposure I needed to further my interests in laws concerning science and health."

Shannen Breen, Finance

"In my time at the Utah Legislature, Senator Dabakis mentored me as I transitioned from my undergraduate studies to a graduate program. It was through his counsel that I found the wherewithal and drive to pursue my passion for Finance. He introduced me to numerous connections and invaluable opportunities that led to my current position in Private Equity. The internship prepared me for the challenges ahead and elevated my access to opportunities enormously. After graduation, I pursued a Master's degree in Finance, which was awarded Spring of 2019. I now work in my industry for a Private Equity firm based in Austin, TX.”