Every year, Florida House welcomes a new group of summer interns who work on a variety of projects and assignments, including the Summer Intern Seminar Series. These students are often rising juniors and seniors from Florida universities with a focus on political science or public policy. We are grateful to have these four brilliant students who will not only work with us this summer, but they also spend half of their week aiding a member of Congress in their Washington D.C. office. Read more below about this year’s cohort:
Joseph Pool is an Alfond Scholar and Ginsburg Fellow at Rollins College majoring in public policy and political economy with minors in ethics and global health. He founded Breaking Bread, an organization dedicated to using shared meals and dialogue to create community and find shared ideals. He has served as the President of Student Government, Circle President of Omicron Delta Kappa, and will serve on the Rollins College Provost Search Committee.
Lauryn Klosterich a senior at Florida State University, majoring in International Affairs and Political Science with a concentration in U.S. Intelligence Studies. She served as a legislative intern at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, where she focused on agricultural policies and safeguarding Florida’s farmers. Previously, also interned at Florida’s 2nd Circuit Public Defender’s Office, specializing in Capital Punishment and Death Penalty cases. This fall, she will be returning to Florida State to pursue my Master’s in Applied Politics and Policy, furthering her dedication to government relations and legislative affairs.
Gabby Parker is a current Junior at the University of Miami double majoring in Musical Theatre and Political Science. While a rather unconventional pairing of majors, she is grateful for the opportunity to pursue two subjects that she is infinitely passionate about. Originally from Neptune Beach, Gabby has spent her life in the great state of Florida and enjoys taking advantage of all the beautiful things Florida has to offer. When she is not singing or studying hard, Gabby enjoys spending time with her golden retriever (Margo,) going for walks on the beach, and trying out new coffee shops!
Elias Barcena is a senior at Florida State majoring in Political Science and minoring in Criminology. He is born and raised in Miami, Florida. Elias has aspirations of one day attending law school. He is currently an intern in the Florida Senate. Aside from interning in the Florida Senate, he is the chief of staff of the FSU Political Review. After interning in the Florida House and US House of Representatives in DC this summer, he is coming back to Tallahassee this fall and graduating this December, hoping to get a job in the state legislature before starting law school.
If you would like to learn more about applying to the Florida House Internship program, please visit the “Programs” page or email claire.king@floridahousedc.org for more information.